Ryou in Wonderland
by QueenCheetah
Summary: AU- It's true that no good deed goes unpunished, but Ryou Bakura certainly hadn't bargained for this sort of mad-capped adventure! Will he be able to find his way safely back from Wonderland? Or will he lose his head (or possibly even his heart) to the hot-tempered Red King? BxR Tendershipping with others; based on the novel and film versions of Lewis Carroll's original works.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: ~This story is based on the novels as well as the films; hope you enjoy!)

It was a rather dreary day- the sky was heavy with large, grey clouds. A chilly wind was racing around the buildings and streets of Domino City; possibly heralding a fresh wave of thunderstorms.

A teenaged boy slowly made his way down the sidewalk outside his school. Classes were over, but he didn't seem terribly excited by this freedom.

'Home to an empty house, in a dull neighborhood, with no one to hang out with.'

Ryou Bakura sighed. He knew it was a bit selfish of him to want more out of life- he lived in a nice town, in a nice house, with nice comforts. He had never gone hungry, or suffered poverty.

But still... he felt something tighten in his chest as he looked around. Was it wrong to wish for others to share it with? His beloved mother and sister had died several years ago in a car accident; and his father was never in the country, much less at home. His uncommonly pale skin and pure, white hair made him a bit of an outcast at school, and while his neighborhood was nice, there were no other boys (or even girls) his age.

And if those factors weren't difficult enough; Ryou had recently found that he preferred looking at the boys in his class, instead of the girls.

Although _technically_ most of the younger generation in Japan was more accepting, Ryou had no illusions when it came to his own situation. The school bullies he had to constantly dodge would surely turn savage upon hearing such a juicy tidbit.

The forlorn student sighed and continued his dreary march. Ryou was barely three blocks away from his school when he heard a strange noise. He looked up and down the sidewalk, but he only saw the usual bustle of pedestrians moving through the busy city.

The noise suddenly started up again- but this time the pale teen could pinpoint the direction it came from. He turned to his right and saw a narrow gap between two aged business buildings.

"Hello?" Ryou cautiously called towards the gap. "Is someone there?"

He thought he saw something moving at the end of the alley- something dark-colored and alive. His curiosity overcame his common sense, and he stepped into the dingy alleyway to investigate.

Sure enough, there was a small, black animal hiding near a metal garbage container. It appeared to be a young rabbit, and it was squirming frantically. The fair-haired teen slowly moved closer, watching the furry creature's actions. It seemed to be twisting and turning with all its might, but it never moved more than a few inches one way or the other.

'That's odd- why would it do that? Surely it would be eaten by a stray dog or cat if it keeps writhing in one spot-?"

Ryou's eyes widened when he saw the reason. Some cruel jerk had wrapped twine around the animal's hind leg, and now it was stuck. The little rabbit looked exhausted, as though he had been fighting against the thread for hours. But it still twitched nervously as the young man came closer.

"It's alright, little guy- try to stay calm- I'm not going to hurt you, ok?" Ryou spoke softly as he slowly made his way forward. "I'm going to try and help you, see?" He carefully knelt down, wincing as he felt the gravel scrape against his covered knees. Yes, the alleyway was filthy, but he couldn't just leave the poor creature to suffer like this.

The beige twine had been wrapped around one of the legs of the dumpster- and it looked like a rather nasty knot.

'Oh dear... maybe I should try and untie the end on the rabbit's foot? But he might bite me...'

The dark rabbit eyed Ryou nervously, and the boy felt very frustrated.

'He's scared... and I can't risk him biting me, he could be ill... but if I leave that cord tied to his leg and just cut the off dumpster side, it could still get caught on something else...'

As he looked around, Ryou felt his backpack starting to slide off his shoulders.

"Ah-hah!" The kind student gasped as he realized what might work. He smiled in revelation.

"Ok, little guy; just try and stay still for a minute- I promise I'm trying to help."

The rabbit blinked at the words. If Ryou didn't know better, he'd swear that the animal's face bore a look of incredulity.

He fully un-zipped the top of the backpack, and slid his books and notes onto the cracked asphalt next to him.

"Ok... here goes nothing..."

In one swift move, Ryou carefully brought the entire bag down on top of the trapped critter. He used the cloth pack to cover everything except the leg with the twine.

The animal panicked at first, but the makeshift enclosure soon soothed its natural burrowing instinct. The fabric of the bag slowly stopped twitching as the creature relaxed.

Ryou quickly set to work on the bound leg- it was difficult, as the rope had dug deep into the fur from the rabbit's struggles. Ryou kept softly whispering words of encouragement, not sure if the animal understood what was going on. "Shhh... there we go, you're doing great... almost there..." It didn't take more than a minute or two before he had successfully undone the knot.

"Smashing!" Ryou grinned widely as the cord began un-twisting from the furry, black paw. "All done!"

He triumphantly lifted the backpack upwards, revealing a surprisingly calm mammal.

"Ok, Mr. Rabbit, you can go now!"

But the rabbit didn't leave.

Ryou made gentle flapping motions with his palms. "Go on, shoo! Find someplace nicer to stay!"

The animal stared at him, before slowly turning around and hopping away.

'Thank heavens that worked... what an odd place to find a rabbit...'

Ryou was just leaning down to put his books back into his backpack when he saw a dark blur.

"Eh?" The little rabbit had hopped back by the pile of his belongings, bent down, and then scarpered out of the alley.

Ryou was baffled by the strange action, but chalked it up to the poor animal's confusion from the rough event. He had just about re-packed his bag when he looked around, confused. Something was missing.

"Wait- ack! _My wallet!_ " The confused student quickly glanced about for the brown rectangle, when he realized what had really just happened.

The rabbit had taken his wallet!

Ryou was baffled- why would a rabbit want a faux-leather wallet?- but decided the creature was probably still disorientated from everything. He could just see a glimpse of black fur darting around the outer edge of the alleyway.

"Hey, wait! _Stop!_ " He gasped as he staggered to his feet, barely shoving his books and notes back into his backpack first. The bemused student ran back to the sidewalk, his backpack hanging off one shoulder while he frantically searched for any sign of the rabbit.

His disheveled appearance garnered many stares from the other pedestrians, but he ignored them. 'There!' He gasped as he saw the small creature turning into another alley- this one was even darker and more decrepit than the first. The walls were almost too narrow to pass, and Ryou had to leave his overly-heavy backpack near the opening.

'Oh, I hope he drops it- this is probably a bad idea...' He saw the rabbit, sitting on its haunches at the end of the alley. As Ryou shimmied awkwardly down the alley, he noticed that the animal wasn't moving. In fact, it almost seemed like it was waiting for him to catch up.

'But that's ridiculous.' Ryou reasoned with himself, 'A wild animal wouldn't want a human to get too close to it- the poor thing is probably still confused.' As he got closer, the black creature suddenly turned and darted behind what looked like an upended dumpster.

"Oh no..." Ryou sighed as he reached the rusted metal container. "I'm going to ruin my uniform at this rate..." He assumed the rabbit was hiding behind the large waste container, as there seemed to be nowhere else to hide in the grimy little alley.

"Well, here goes nothing..." The teenaged boy braced himself before grabbing the top edges of the aging receptacle. With one strong tug, he was able to pull the corroding metal bin away from the brick wall. But rather than revealing a black ball of twitching fluff, he instead found something much stranger.

"What on Earth..." A sizable, half-moon shaped hole had been carved into the very brick of the building. It almost looked like an old ditch for waste water. There were faint words carved roughly into the bricks, but they were so old that they were no longer legible. 'Probably just graffiti...' Curious, Ryou knelt down to inspect this odd discovery. He could hear the rush of running water, but the tunnel was too dark to see anything. 'How odd... it looks like a large storm drain... but why isn't it covered?' He carefully balanced on his heels as he tried to see if the rabbit thief had somehow gone down the drain.

"This is very unsafe, not even a netting or grate on the opening... poor little rabbit- I do hope he didn't fall in, that could mean troubl- _ **OH!**_ " Ryou let out a startled yelp as he suddenly lost his balance. He gasped as he was suddenly plunged bottom-first into a tunnel of knee-deep water. "Oh... ugh." He groaned as the cold dampness quickly soaked through his dark blue uniform. "How disgusting..." He started to stand up, when he noticed that the water wasn't nearly as strong-smelling as he had feared. 'At least it's rather _clean_ water... thank heavens it rained yesterday, otherwise this would really stink...'

Deciding that his wallet was officially a lost cause, the unlucky youth turned around to see how best to escape. 'Alright, time to get out of here...' His jaw nearly dropped as he realized that the walls surrounding him were all sloped upwards and outwards- he couldn't climb back up! The concrete slopes were clearly designed to only allow rubbish water to flow downward. "No... oh no..." Ryou felt himself starting to panic- his cell phone was still in his backpack!- but he was distracted by a new sound. "Eh?" He could hear something faintly roaring down at the opposite end of the tunnel. "That almost sounds like... _!_ " Ryou barely had a moment's realization before he was swept off his feet by a massive surge of water.

" _ **WAHHHH!"**_

The relentless current carried him further and further down the drainage system. Ryou tried to yell for help, but the powerful tide threatened to completely overwhelm the terrified teen. Fearful of being drowned by the flood, he closed his mouth and silently prayed for safety.

'Oh no... I can barely stay afloat-!'

There was horrid moment of realization as the entire world suddenly seemed to flip upside down. Ryou let out an involuntary scream as he found himself falling through an empty space. The tunnel had apparently taken a downward turn, and now he was dropping like a stone-

Falling through nothingness,

Falling,

falling,

falling...

There was a flash of golden light, and then Ryou felt himself faint.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh...ouch..."

Bruised and bewildered, Ryou Bakura slowly felt his chestnut-colored eyes flicker open. He dazedly glanced around before closing them again. The bizarre imagery he'd briefly witnessed was surely the result of near-concussive head injury.

'I must be dreaming...' He could almost imagine his mind warring with his senses as he started to stir. The teen was cold and dizzy; his clothes felt as though he'd just run through a rainstorm, and apparently he was lying on his back.

Still, despite the feeling of damp cloth against his skin, he couldn't comprehend that he wasn't asleep.

After all, such strange creatures could surely not be of this world...

"Ugh..." The befuddled student let out a groan as he tried to sit up. He glanced downwards at his outfit. His school clothes were filthy, but not badly torn. His head was starting to ache, and he could feel a throbbing in his limbs where he'd been thrown against the metal pipes of the sewer.

"Oh wow... what happened..." As the lost youth rubbed the back of his head, he could hear other voices talking excitedly around him.

"Oh, she's really pretty! I bet the king'll like her!"

Ryou felt his disbelief fading as he took in those sounds. Someone was speaking, but who-?

The baffled teen decided to turn his gaze towards the sounds. When he finally was able to focus, he noticed that he was, indeed, surrounded by the strangest group of creatures that he'd ever seen.

Ryou gasped as he took in the three beings staring expectantly downwards at him. 'Wha-what?!'

The tallest member of the group was a rather wiry blonde with a wide smile. He was wearing a pair of worn blue jeans and a teal shirt, topped with a faux-leather dog collar. His ears seemed to be missing- until Ryou realized the two golden-furred dog ears on top of his skull _weren't_ fake- they were **moving**!

'This guy... he's part animal?! And is that a _tail_?!' Ryou craned his neck to glance around at the other two bystanders. Standing directly to the left of the canine-human was a shorter boy with wild, raven-black hair. He appeared to be a normal human, likely a few years younger than Ryou himself. He had a rather excited smile on his face.

'He seems friendly enough... but what of the last one...'

Ryou glanced at the third onlooker- a very short boy with what looked like rabbit ears on top of his head. The black-furred appendages were slightly flopped over his blonde-and-magenta spiked hair. His lavender eyes were trained on Ryou, and he nodded excitedly as he spoke. "He'll find her interesting, at the very least. She's the first outsider we've entertained in centuries!"

The dog-boy spoke in a rather loud, almost barking tone. "Good job, Yug'!"

The part-rabbit youth blushed in modesty. "It wasn't that hard, really- I just set the twine 'trap' and she was the first one who stopped to help."

Ryou was flabbergasted by this admission- how could the half-rabbit creature know that he had saved an animal earlier that day, unless... the confused student gasped as he caught on. "Wait, _you're_ the rabbit I saved earlier?!"

The bunny-eared boy nodded happily. "Yep! We were looking for someone both kind and beautiful enough to appease our king! And you're quite sweet! He's sure to approve of you!"

"I dunno..." The dog-man had a hand on his chin and was leering oddly at the newcomer. "I still think her chest is pretty flat..."

" _ **Jounouchi!**_ _"_ The rabbit-boy admonished, giving the blonde a half-hearted *thwap* of disapproval.

"What?"

The black-haired boy snickered as Yugi chastened the dog's manners. _"You don't just talk about something like that!"_

"Eh?" Ryou sweatdropped. "But-"

"Besides, you're setting a bad influence for Mokuba!" The wild-haired lapin carried on, gesturing to the still-giggling youth. "You're the one who let him come with us, and I don't think the head knight would take kindly to you teaching his younger brother how to _objectify women!_ "

Ryou tried to stop the bickering trio. "Um, I'm really not-"

But the young rabbit-human seemed to think the offense was far greater than presumed. The wondrous crossbreed gave a half-bow as he addressed the soaked stranger. "I'm very sorry, miss; I promise Jounouchi isn't a bad guy... but he can be rather uncouth. Please accept my apologies."

The blonde looked like he was about to say something in retort, but Ryou managed to yelp out a response before the pointless argument could be carried any further. _"_ _B_ _ut I'm_ _not_ _a girl!"_

"Eh?!" The entire group of fantastic creatures paused in their squabbling. Yugi squinted quizzically at the 'outsider' he'd lured back. "What do you mean, 'you're _not_ a girl?'"

Ryou was starting to feel woozy and tired. Hallucination or not, trying to address this group was starting to wear on him. "What other meaning could there be? I'm a boy!"

The bystanders all blinked in simultaneous shock. The silence was finally broken by the dog-eared boy. His golden ears fell as he spoke dejectedly. "Aw, crap... we can't bring a _boy_ to the king! He'd probably get offended an' cut off all our heads!"

Growing exasperated, Ryou gestured downwards at the soaked, blue cloth covering his pale form. "Couldn't you tell by my school uniform?"

The others only stared in bewilderment, while the black-haired boy whispered to the rabbit-guy: "what's a 'school uniform?'"

"It must be something they wear to indicate their gender." Yugi quietly surmised.

"Oh dear... this is so odd..." Ryou shook his head as he tried to make sense of the whole situation. "This is all too incredible... how on Earth did I end up here in the first place? Wait..." The lost teen glanced around, taking in the wildly foreign landscape. He was suddenly struck by a very morbid thought. "I'm... I'm not _dead_ , am I?" He gave a nervous glance towards the trio. "T-this isn't the afterlife, is it?"

"Eh?" The blonde canine-mix shook his head, his ears flopping about wildly. "Naw, this ain't heaven or nothin'- this is Wonderland."

" _Wonderland?_ " Ryou frowned- for some reason, the name sounded vaguely familiar... hadn't he read about a place by that name, once upon a time? "But... isn't that a children's story?"

The black-haired human grinned and pointed proudly around himself. "Nope, it's the name of our world!"

"I suppose you could place a story here, though- I mean, we certainly do have a wide variety of different races and customs and occupations..." Yugi posited while resting one hand on his chin. Ryou noticed that there was a small tuft of black fur just above each of the rabbit-boy's wrists.

'How odd...' Ryou watched as the shorter hybrid's hands moved fluidly about, with no notice of the newcomer's stares. 'It almost looked like he was wearing fur-lined gloves, but then the glove parts became invisible!'

Yugi's voice soon broke the foreigner out of his stupor. "Well, I suppose we have to get you back to your own world, then. It's only fair, given that I led you here by mistake."

"Erm, thank you, I suppose- but how on Earth would I get back?" Ryou looked around- they seemed to be standing on the banks of a small stream, set in the middle of an open field. Ryou saw no sign of the sewer drain that he'd fallen down earlier.

Yugi seemed to realize something and he sighed. "That's right; you're from what we call a 'flat' dimension. So of course you wouldn't be familiar with Itinerrarum theory..."

The white-haired newcomer could only blink. "I'm sorry, eye-tinna-what?"

The rabbit-like teen sat down on a large stone as he tried to explain. "I guess you could call it 'world-traveling'... it's a type of movement between thinly connected dimensions that allows for the temporary and permanent displacement of equivalent matter between the boundaries."

Ryou didn't bother voicing his confusion; he was certain his face would make it evident enough.

"Er, maybe I should use the explanation I first used with Jou... so, you know how water never really 'vanishes;' it just recycles itself into something else? Like, if you heat it up, it becomes a steamy vapor, rises into the atmosphere, and eventually gets rained back down to Earth as water again? Well, it turns out that biological energy acts the same way. In fact, our worlds share some of the same energies- for example, a star that dies out in _your_ galaxy might become a new star in _ours_ , and vice versa. Which means there are faint connections between certain dimensions. And, if you're able to find one of the points where those energies align in the strongest concentration, you can sometimes cross over between the two!"

"It can be dangerous, though." Mokuba added somewhat sullenly. Ryou wondered if the younger boy had wanted to go with Yugi, but been held back with that same line. The unwitting visitor was about to ask just that, when he remembered where the 'point' in question had been located.

"Wait, so you're saying the strongest bond between our worlds is a _sewage dump?!_ "

Jou and Mokuba both started snickering while Yugi hastily attempted to explain.

"Er, well, the locations are rather random; it's not like there's a clear map or pattern to the universe's natural order. And sometimes strange phenomenon can happen near them, such as flashes of light energy and surges of temperature change. In fact, people in the earlier ages would often fear them and cover them up due to a lack of understanding. I think your people called it 'witchcraft' or something?"

"Oh my..." Ryou felt his mind reeling as he struggled to take in the 'brief' explanation. "I must say, this is all _very_ odd."

Jou gave the lost teen a sympathetic look. "Yeah, an' it's about to get even weirder, 'cuz we gotta take you to someone who knows how ta get ya home."

The lapin-hybrid continued his elaboration. "Think of it this way- you can't travel to a land if you don't know where it is, right? And since people used to bury and block the connection points, no-one ever realized what they really were!"

The now mostly-dry student felt his heart sink at those words. "Oh, so... I can't go back the same way?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, each 'portal' is a one-way passage, I'm afraid. And the one I used to reach you is far too large for a human form- um, I'm guessing you can't change into a smaller one-?" The wild-haired creature hinted hopefully.

Ryou sighed as he remembered the tiny black rabbit from before. "Er, not really..."

"Okay, then we must find another gateway point." Yugi gave a determined nod before standing back up. "Allow us to escort you to the Caterpillar- he is one of the few creatures who tries to keep records of the more strange and unusual parts of our world."

But just as the four made to move away from the stream, a bold voice interrupted them.

"If you wish to reach the Caterpillar, then perhaps it would be best if **I** accompanied you."


	3. Chapter 3

" _Okay, then we must find another gateway point." Yugi gave a determined nod before standing back up. "Allow us to escort you to the Caterpillar- he is one of the few creatures who tries to keep records of the more strange and unusual parts of our world."_

 _But just as the four made to move away from the stream, a bold voice interrupted them._

" _If you wish to reach the Caterpillar, then perhaps it would be best if **I** accompanied you."_

Ryou turned to spot a lone human, scarcely older than himself, making his way over towards the stream. The stranger was wearing a green vest and a purple bow-tie over a dark green suit. His hair looked oddly similar to Yugi's, except it was currently being flattened by a large, green-felt top hat.

"Yami!" Yugi let out a thrilled cry as he ran towards the approaching non-hybrid. He hugged the now-chuckling traveler with gusto. "I'm so glad you're back from your trip! How was the Haen province?"

The hatted youth returned the embrace, smiling warmly at the shorter male. "Busy as ever. I was able to find some new patterns for my fall line, but the foot traffic _alone_ was enough to drive one mad!"

Jou and Mokuba also added their greetings, minus the physical contact.

Yugi finally let go of the strangely-similar person, and gestured towards Ryou. "Yami, this is Ryou. He's a foreigner from one of the other branches- I kinda lured him here after accidentally mistaking him for... er, well, for a girl."

Both Yugi and Ryou blushed slightly at this admission. Yet to his credit, the suave newcomer didn't even remark on the gaff. Instead, he merely gave a formal bow and spoke in a slow tone, "my deepest apologies, otherworlder, for the inconvenience." He glanced up at the others waiting behind Ryou and Yugi and acknowledged them both. "Jou, Mokuba- I would naturally be honored to escort all of you to the Caterpillar's base."

"Yami used to be a knight on the Red King's court, so he's very skilled in combat!" Yugi helpfully added.

But the former gentry seemed upset by the mention of his past duties. " _Yes_ , I was once a squire knight of the court; until the King and I had one to many... disagreements." The green-clothed man admittedly bitterly. "He is an unpredictable and impatient ruler, and he never lets logic get in the way of his arrogant demands."

Yugi nodded, his expression shifting into a tense stare. "In fact, one of his servants once challenged him on something factual while they were outside in the royal courtyard. The king lost his temper and stated, 'Whatever I say, you _will_ agree with! Now I say the grass is _**red**_!' But the servant only pointed to the lawn and insisted that it was still green. So the king drew his favorite sword, and... well..." Yugi trailed off with a sad sigh.

The former knight nodded. "The servant did live, but no one would _dare_ say that the courtyard grass is green now."

Jou barked in an angry quip, "he thinks he's always right, an' he doesn' wanna hear otherwise from anyone!"

Ryou felt a chill run down his spine- the king sounded like an egotistical maniac! _'And they're trying to find a romantic_ _match_ _for that tyrant?! I should probably wish them all 'good luck!''_

Yami glanced up at the cloudless sky. "We should start moving. It's already mid-day, and the Caterpillar is an elderly individual. He lives alone and tends to turn in far earlier than most other creatures."

Ryou gave a quick nod, eager to find a way back to his original realm. 'I certainly hope this 'Caterpillar' can help us... I wonder, is he the size of a bug? Or is he a hybrid, like Yugi seems to be?'

Just as this thought crossed Ryou's mind, the part-rabbit turned around and glanced at the raven haired human.

"Mokuba, I'm sorry to say this, but I really think you should head on home."

Both Jou and Mokuba began loudly protesting the suggestion, neither keen on adventuring without the youngest group member. But the duo fell silent when Yami held up one palm and spoke in a commanding tone.

"Mokuba, we will have to pass through the Tulgey Woods to reach the Caterpillar before nightfall, and I will NOT risk your brother's wrath by putting you in harm's way." Yami gave Jou a pointed look, as if to shame the half-canine youth. "You know what creatures lurk in those woods, and I cannot be responsible for both Ryou and Mokuba's safety should things go sour." The hatted adolescent turned back to glare at the sullen boy. "You can either leave now, of your own volition; or else I will tie you up and carry you back." Yami's purple eyes narrowed in seriousness as he added, "Your choice."

The sullen youth sighed as he recognized defeat. "But I wanna go on an adventure with you..."

"Hey, cheer up, bud! Don' forget, we've got that super-secret expedition coming up next month!" Jou grinned as he clasped the dejected youth's shoulder with one hand.

Yami raised one eyebrow, clearly wary of the words 'super-secret expedition', but he didn't say anything. 'Though I _will_ have to do some digging later... I hope Jou isn't planning on taking him to the cliffs of Doscent again! Though you'd think nearly losing his tail in a rock slide would be enough to dissuade even the most impulsive hybrid...'

But the words seemed to reinvigorate the boy, and Mokuba only gave a quick wave to the others before sprinting towards a hill in the opposite direction. "'Bye guys! Good luck!"

'Good luck?' Ryou felt his chest tighten as he thought back to Yami's earlier statement. 'Just what sort of creatures are living in those woods?'

"Hey, don' worry." Jou evidently noticed the foreigner's nervous expression and tried to cheer him up. "The Tulgey Woods ain' _that_ bad- it's jus' that Mokuba's got a _really_ strict big brother, an' he'd be pretty pissed if we took him with us!"

"I see..." Ryou tried not to let his fears show. Meanwhile, Yugi and Yami had been quietly discussing something just out of earshot of the two taller males. They stepped back towards the other two journeymen, apparently in accord. Together, the four began walking at a brisk pace towards the Eastern horizon, where their destination lay waiting.

Yami glanced at his comrades as they matched their strides. "We should try and keep a swift pace- I'm afraid I do not have a steed available at the moment; but I _can_ carry you if you start to feel weary."

" _Yami!_ " Yugi softly admonished his taller look-alike. "I know you're trying to be chivalrous, but I don't think Ryou has that weak of a constitution! You oughtn't say something like that to a foreigner; he might be insulted!"

The past-knight smirked and raised one eyebrow as he replied, "I was actually speaking to you."

Yugi's face grew bright red, but the rabbit-eared teen didn't speak, merely turning his gaze to one side. Jou let out a knowing snicker, and the lapin-hybrid playfully poked the blonde goof with one hand. "Hush, you!"

Ryou smiled as he watched the three friends jesting and joshing one another. Evidently it was no secret that Yami and Yugi were keen on each other... a bit of longing dripped into the otherworlder's heart.

'Hmm... it seems being gay isn't as frowned upon in _this_ world...' The pale teen felt a painful twinge of realization as he saw the three speaking so casually. 'I'm a bit jealous of their freedom... I wonder if they know what it's like back in my world...'

Eventually, the four adventurers reached a rather tall hill. The grassy mound was covered in unusually vivid flowers and oddly colored stones. Ryou was almost gasping by the time they reached the top.

"There it is- Tulgey Woods." Yami pointed towards a dark row of trees looming just ahead of the travelers.

"It looks rather foreboding..." Ryou quietly admitted.

"Nah, that's just 'cuz the ash trees aren't aglow yet." Jou nodded towards the treeline. "Once the sun starts to set, the leaves'll catch on fire, and then the woods'll be bright as day!"

"Wait, they set on _fire_?!" Ryou nearly yelped in shock. The white-haired youth was startled by the admission, yet neither Yugi nor Yami seemed remotely surprised.

"Well, of course!" Yugi quickly chirped. "After all, that's why they're called 'ash trees'- it describes their life cycle!"

But the outsider only blinked in bewilderment, so Yugi continued. "You see, the setting sun sends out enough solar energy to ignite the excess chlorophyll in the leaves, then the leaves slowly burn up like embers, then the ashes fall to the ground, and finally the tree's roots re-absorb all the nutrients from the soot! I mean, how else would the tree grow new leaves every night?"

Yami seemed equally puzzled by the foreigner's shock. "Do you not have ash trees in your world?"

"Erm, well, we _do_ have trees that we call 'ash' trees," Ryou elaborated, "but they certainly don't set themselves on fire every night!"

"Then why are they called 'ash trees?'" Jou posited, clearly unsure if the otherworlder was pulling his leg or not.

"I'm... not really sure why they're called that." Ryou admitted, "but _no_ trees in our world intentionally ignite themselves, I can promise you that much!"

"Really?" Jou blinked his wide, amber-toned eyes at the pale foreigner. "That's weird..."

But Ryou was staring at the waiting forest, equally unsure if he was being tricked. "So, the trees _really_ set on fire when the sun sets?"

"Well, only some of them... but it's very beautiful." Yugi promised enthusiastically. "Really, it's a shame we're on a deadline; otherwise I'd suggest that we wait to see it."

"Perhaps another time." Yami added gently before guiding the group towards a small opening in the foliage. "This is the only path that runs through the woods- it is faint and narrow, so we must stay together, and be careful not to lose sight of it."

"Don' worry, I'm an expert tracker!" Jou declared proudly as he pointed to his own chest with one thumb.

Yami glanced at the part-canid and remarked, "Jou, didn't you get lost in the king's castle last year?"

"Hey, it's a big place! Everybody gets lost their first time there!" The dog-mix insisted defensively.

But Yami only shook his head and added, "Perhaps, but most do not _remain_ lost for more than a few hours- much less four entire _days_."

The blonde folded his arms in a pouting gesture, but didn't say anything further. Yugi seemed to be holding back laughter as he reassured Jou that the castle's layout was indeed, complex.

Meanwhile, Ryou was eying the nearly-invisible gap between the branches and brambles.

Two large elm trees stood on either side of the very narrow dirt path. The woods beyond seemed very dark and foreboding. Yami only gave a nod before he slipped through the overgrown entrance. Yugi gestured that Ryou should follow next, and the teen complied.

'Well, here I go...' The nervous outsider held his breath as he stepped between the giant trees, not sure what lay waiting just beyond the tangled entryway...


	4. Chapter 4

_'Well, here I go...' The nervous outsider held his breath as he stepped between the giant trees, not sure what lay waiting just beyond the tangled entryway..._

Ryou gasped as he stepped down, finally able to see what lay just beyond the thick brush barrier.

"Oh my... it's lovely!" He slowly gaped about as a rich tapestry of foliage opened before him. The dense forest was very still, with clear sunlight falling between the trees to leave a gloriously dappled pattern on the ground. The earth itself was covered with dry, brown leaves and strangely-colored grasses. The many gray-and-brown tree trunks were occasionally upstaged by a brilliant array of wildflowers sprouting randomly between their roots.

Yami nodded at the foreigner's remark as he herded the rest of the small group through the opening. "Lovely, but hardly safe. Stay close, and don't lose sight of one another. These woods are deep, and deceptively still."

Ryou glanced quizzically at the half-rabbit teen now standing next to him. "Deceptively still?"

Yugi nodded, his dark ears flopping wildly up and down. "Yes- they may _seem_ calm, but there's plenty of creatures lurking beneath the undergrowth, just out of sight."

"Yeah, an' they ain't all friendly!" Jou added with a slightly nervous bark.

"Which is why would should make haste. Come, we have quite a ways to go." The hatted young man made to lead the way, and Ryou dutifully followed. Yugi kept alongside the foreigner, while Jou brought up the rear.

They had barely gotten a few yards along the old path, when something moved just ahead of them.

"Oh!" Ryou gasped as he saw something small and green suddenly dart into the undergrowth, away from the group. "What was _that_?"

"A hedgehog." Yami replied calmly. "They cover themselves in dark green foliage to disguise themselves from predators. All they have to do is stay still, and they're nearly invisible."

"Don' worry- they're small, an' they only eat plants." Jou reassured the baffled foreigner.

"I see..." Ryou trailed off as he became lost in his own thoughts. 'Funny how our languages seem nearly identical, and yet they're quite different... I wonder if they have 'groundhogs' as well?'

The group continued on in relative silence; with Yami keeping watch for any dangers lying ahead, and Jou glancing back every so-often to spot possible trouble from behind.

Ryou felt himself relaxing- the woods were certainly beautiful, and he could barely hear even the sounds of their own footsteps through the fallen leaves. 'It's almost muted... it's rather peaceful, like waking up from a pleasant dream...'

"Oh!" Ryou gasped as he heard a new noise that seemed to float right over the silence of the forest. "What on Earth is that unusual buzzing sound?"

Yugi seemed surprised by the newcomer's question, and he tilted his head curiously. "Do you not have hummingbirds in your world?"

Ryou blinked before adding, "erm, yes; but they don't actually ' _hum_!'"

"Then why don't ya just call 'em 'Ming birds?'" Jou pondered blithely from behind.

The foreigner was baffled by this inquiry, and he could only acknowledge, "I honestly have no idea..."

Yami nearly lost the path for a moment, but then Jou was able to pick up an old scent and guide them back on track. Yugi gave his half-canine friend a high-five, and Yami also shared a 'thumbs-up' gesture in acknowledgment of Jou's skills.

Ryou found himself liking this odd group more and more. 'They're silly, but serious when they need to be.' He watched as Jou and Yugi started a playful 'shoving' match as they made their way along the trail. 'And they don't seem to mind each other's differences. It's quite admirable...'

As they made their way further along the scarce path, Ryou noticed something odd. Just to their right was a rotting log, barely indistinguishable from the surrounding leaves. But on top of it lay something beautifully shiny. The glistening object seemed to beckon towards the curious teen.

"Oh, I think someone dropped a rather valuable piece of jewelry-!" Ryou exclaimed as he reached one hand towards the unusual trinket.

"Careful!" Yami warned as he suddenly grabbed the foreigner's wrist. The warning came just in time, as the far end of the bracelet suddenly turned and hissed menacingly at the pair.

"What on Earth-?!" Ryou's eyes widened in shock as a dark-colored silhouette suddenly slithered away, the various gems following with it.

"It's a Diamond-back Marsh Snake... very beautiful, but venomous." Yami noted grimly. "It's fortunate one of us didn't step on it. We should go around..."

Ryou felt entranced by the sparkling hide of the fleeing serpent. "Are- are they covered in _real_ diamonds?"

"Nah, they'd probably be hunted to extinction if they were. That's jus' a glossy formation of keratin designed to ward off predators." Jou proudly explained.

Yami nodded in agreement. "Their main predatory threat comes from hawks and eagles. If a bird of prey is flying overhead and looks downwards for something to eat, they'll easily spot a snake if it's sunning itself on a rock or a stump. But if a Diamond-back snake isn't hidden under some sort of ground cover, the 'diamonds' will reflect the sunlight back and temporarily blind the bird. It's a very effective deterrent."

"How incredible..." Ryou tilted his head in awe. "But, isn't keratin the same material that makes up our fingernails and hair? How on Earth do these snakes get theirs to be so shiny?"

Yugi eagerly chimed in. "They polish their backs by rubbing up against unearthed sandstone- it 'sands' the keratin to a shiny finish!"

"Fascinating..." Ryou felt himself becoming more and more entranced with this unusual land. Everything about Wonderland seemed vaguely familiar, yet at the same time, utterly alien. He'd always felt a leaning towards his biology classes, and this exotic ecosystem was nothing short of enthralling.

'I think I like this odd world... though perhaps I should exercise a little more caution...' The encounter with the deceptive snake reminded Ryou of the way Yugi had looked earlier when he'd mentioned their 'king.' He glanced at the black-eared youth stepping swiftly alongside the others.

"So..." Ryou quietly broached a new query as the four marched on. " _Why_ exactly are you trying to find a match for your king?"

The shortest traveler sighed, his whiskers twitching thoughtfully. "Well, it's not good for our king to get irritated or bored."

The once-knight looked harassed as he confirmed this. "Yes, he tends to do rather... _offensive_ things when he's upset. As the crown prince, he was a bit; erm, spoiled as a child... his mother passed away shortly after his birth and his father was always preoccupied. There was a war going on, you see- the Huelycens of the West were invading. So the young prince learned to do 'bad' things to get his father's attention."

Ryou felt a twinge of fear at those words. "'Bad' things?"

Yami nodded, his mouth set in a tight-lined frown. "He would deface the statues and tapestries in the castle halls; steal historical artifacts in the library and replace them with his own crude creations; and occasionally even mess with the 'common' folk."

"Oh." Ryou sounded slightly unnerved, and Yugi hastily elaborated.

"Of course, they were only immature pranks- and no one was ever hurt (well, at least not _badly_ ). But things got worse during his teen years; when he began rebelling against the 'proper' and 'elegant' lifestyle that was expected of him. His father _refused_ to let him abdicate the throne to his cousin, Sir Seto (who most believe is far better suited for the title; if I may confide) and the prince grew bitter. He turned to doing other things- anything that he considered a 'challenge.'"

"I see..." Ryou was liking the sounds of this monarch less and less.

Jou folded his arms as his golden ears tilted backwards in dislike. "He's an anti-social fool, an' he's completely out-of-touch wit' the rest of us!"

"We think it would be best if he found someone to woo- then he'd be too distracted courting to harass the rest of us!" Yugi added confidently.

Ryou's lips fell in a tight line as he focused on the rabbit-hybrid's words. 'Rather odd logic... but I suppose it's not nearly as strange as half of what I've witnessed today...'

"Quite frankly, we've run out of other options." The hatter admitted somberly. "There is little else that can warm a cold heart, save for true love. If his iron will cannot be softened by another's affection, then what hope do we have? Our king is not yet a tyrant, but we fear his demands may grow more and more vicious if he is allowed to rule unchecked."

"Ah. I think I understand..." The pale foreigner admitted slowly, "but, then why does his father not help? Surely the previous king could hold some sway over his progeny?"

Yami removed the green hat from his head as he spoke somberly. "Unfortunately, the Great King Teruo passed away just before the last war ended. Our own forces were badly outnumbered, but he found a way to cause a landslide that would destroy the remainder of the Huelycen army. But in order to shift the rocks, someone would have to go into the very gulley where the rocks would fall, meaning they would surely be sacrificed; and he had already declared that not **one** more man in his army would die that day."

Jou let out a soft whimper of distress, and Yugi gently patted his friend's right arm. "I miss him too."

"It was a selfless, noble sacrifice, and none of us have ever forgotten it." Yami finished proudly, only to grimace as he added: "that is, except for his son."

The unwitting tourist quietly pondered the past-knight's narrative. Ryou almost felt a bit of sympathy for the wayward royal upon hearing the tale. 'I can see why it would be hard to live up to that sort of legendary reputation...'

But the otherworlder's thoughts were eventually interrupted by their hatted guide's voice.

"We're almost at the center of the forest- the half-way point between us and our destination." Yami seemed to falter at the word 'center' for some reason.

"I just hope we don' run into THEM." Jou muttered with a faint growl in his voice.

The foreign teen blinked in confusion. "Them?"

"Deep in the forest lies the territory of the strangest pair of cats you could ever meet." Yami elaborated with a grim frown. "They're completely balmy, and they love to mess with any passerby unfortunate enough to catch their interest."

"Yeah, an' they're also obsessed with words! They make all sorts of puns and riddles and junk- y'know, the kinda stuff that makes yer head spin?" Jou grimaced as he shook his golden dog-ears.

"Yami's kind of a gaming expert-" Yugi confided to the bewildered foreigner. "He loves all sorts of challenges and games, yet even he can't solve their puzzles!"

The former knight shook his head, evidently frustrated by the thought of the two jokers. "Nobody could solve their riddles- because they don't _have_ answers! Or, when they do have some sort of answer, it makes no sense!"

"I see..." Ryou frowned as he tried to picture the two cat-creatures. "Then, I take it they're not very friendly?"

Yugi shrugged while Yami elaborated. "Yes and no- they are notoriously impish pranksters, and they will not let anyone pass unless they take a personal liking to them."

Ryou tilted his head, not sure what other options were available to the traveling group. "Are there no other paths leading to the Caterpillar's home?"

"It is not the only route," Yami admitted, "but it is both the swiftest and the safest. I would much prefer it if we could avoid catching their attention, so from here on out, we should lower our voices... and walk as quietly as possible." He gave a pointed look towards Jou, who only grinned sheepishly.

"Awright, I'll try my best."

Yugi held back a giggle as Yami once again took the lead. "Then let us travel without a sound."


	5. Chapter 5

The strange group carefully made their way through the woodland undergrowth. Each of the four made every effort not to snap any dry twigs or trip over the many moss-covered rocks. Ryou had to suppress a yelp when they came across a (moderately large) spider hanging across the path, but Yami merely brushed it aside with his hat before leading on.

Things were going well for the travelers, but unfortunately, they were not the only creatures moving about the forest that day. Yami had just stepped over a large rock when he happened to scare up a small, reddish-brown bird. The startled fowl instantly took flight, triggering Jou's more canine-like instincts. The blonde hybrid was unable to suppress a loud bark of excitement.

"Jou!" Yami quickly admonished the high-energy hybrid.

"Oops, sorry." The blonde looked rather abashed as he turned his attention back to the group. He seemed about to apologize, when the four males were interrupted by a distant voice.

"Oh-ho? ~And what have we here?"

The dark, teasing voice seemed to be coming from a nearby elm tree, yet Ryou couldn't see what was making the sounds. "Wha-?"

Slowly, as if he was being poured from a bottle of living colors, an odd figure appeared. Ryou first saw two hands (at least, each one had five fingers, though they all ended in long, black claws) with golden fur adorning the wrists. Soon Ryou saw a long pair of very dark, muscular arms, followed by an equally powerful body. Lastly, the head of the odd creature appeared- it was topped with golden fur and had two cat-like ears sitting atop its bronzed face.

"Marik." Yami sounded almost a bit unnerved as he addressed the brawny tree-dweller. "We are escorting this foreigner to the Caterpillar at the other end of the woods. Can we pass by?"

The strange cat-like man only grinned. His violet eyes seemed to blaze with mad delight as he trailed down the branches like a liquid running downhill. He came to rest on a thick bough before speaking again. "Well, well- what a pretty little angel. Tell me, pale snowflake, why have you fallen into our realm?"

Jou let out a warning growl, and Yugi sagely whispered to Ryou: "I cannot speak for your own realm, but here, cats and dogs... well, they do not often get along."

"Ah- the same is true in my world." Ryou quietly reassured the lapin-mix before turning his attention back to the tree. "Excuse me, Mr. Cat? My name is Ryou, and I'm traveling with Mr. Yugi, Mr. Yami, and Mr. Jou. We're looking for the Caterpillar- may we pass?"

" _May_?" Two bright pupils blinked in playful questioning. "Hmm, but perhaps you are unaware that June has already passed- therefore, you shall only pass through if you are July." The curious cat-creature let out a loud snigger of delight before flipping onto his back. He let his fluffy, golden tail fall over the tree's branches as he smirked at the trio below. "Of course, you could always try and March by... but it's hardly the right time to try _that_."

Jou and Yugi both stared up at the upside-down creature in disbelief. The dog-man scowled as he looked at his rabbit friend. "We gotta find anotha' way through the woods- this guy's bonkers!"

But Ryou only looked thoughtfully up at the strange cat-hybrid. "Wait... but this year is a leap year, is it not? Will you let us pass if we _le_ _ap_ by?"

The cat-creature's eyes widened and he let out a trill of delight as he clapped his furry paw-hands together. " **Yes!** Yes, that should be fine! Oh, you _are_ a clever one!" The brawny hybrid suddenly turned his head half-way around ('Almost like an owl!' Ryou later recalled) and began yelling loudly towards some other unseen inhabitant. "Malik! _**Malik!**_ Wake up! You have to come meet this witty little stranger!"

"Oh no... not anotha' cat!" Jou moaned, while Yugi offered a sympathetic pat to his friend's back.

But Marik was far too pleased to find someone else willing to play his crazed games, and he paid the others no mind as his companion appeared.

Ryou was surprised by the nearly-identical hybrid that soon sprang forth from the air. This 'Malik' looked almost indistinguishable from 'Marik,' save a slightly less-powerful build. The second bronzed crossbreed yawned as he loudly chided his partner. "Did you _have_ to wake me? I was taking the best nap... oh!" He pointed blatantly at Ryou, and loudly declared, "but he looks just like the King!"

"What?" Marik's eyes narrowed as he glanced over Ryou once more. "No he doesn't- the King's an *sshole!"

"That doesn't mean they don't _look_ alike! The same hair, the same skin, the same- oh, you're right; the eyes are different."

Marik folded his arms as he ended the argument. "Besides, this guy's clever and polite- two traits 'his royal high-*ss' could hardly aspire to. Plus, I like this new guy."

'I don't think I like the sounds of this 'King' fellow...' Ryou nervously thought to himself as the treed creatures spoke.

Malik let out a trilling purr as he gently wrapped his long tail over the waist of his doppelganger. "You'll have to forgive my Marik- he's profoundly idiotic at times, but in the end he's simply too sexy for me to resist."

Ryou felt his face flushing as he hoped he'd misheard the hybrid. "Er, I take it you're not related, then?"

Malik let out a laugh as he wrapped his arms around his beau. "No more than you and our king- in this world, merely resembling another does not necessarily indicate shared blood."

Marik gave a rather wicked grin as he slyly added, "though we _have_ shared other fl-"

"MARIK!" The second cat-creature flushed as he admonished his partner. " _That's not something you say in front of strangers!_ "

Jou and Yami both looked nauseated, while Ryou and Yugi were struggling not to laugh.

"But they _introduced_ themselves! They're not strangers!" Marik whined as his annoyed look-alike.

"My deepest apologies for the trouble we've caused; we'll gladly guide you through the rest of the Tulgey Woods." Malik gave a bow, his golden cat-ears nearly reaching his navel as he did so.

"Oh, that would be wonderful; thank you!" Ryou quickly thanked the unusual pair. Yugi also seemed pleased by the offer, but Jou didn't look nearly as keen on the idea. Ryou watched as Yami finally gave a slight nod, signaling his approval. He clearly wasn't thrilled by the presence of the two tricksters, but had probably come to the same conclusion as Ryou. If this really was their territory, then they were probably the best guides possible to lead someone through it.

"Then please, lead the way."

It was rather difficult, following the two mysterious hybrids as they floated from tree to tree. They didn't seem to move like the other crossbreeds Ryou had come across. 'How curious...'

The growing group hadn't gotten far before Marik got a rather cryptic look on his face. He floated down beside the white-haired traveler's right ear and whispered (rather loudly)- "By the by, I wonder if you'd mind tackling another riddle- I've been keeping this one for ages, and no-one's managed to solve it."

"Probably because the riddles you make up _have_ no true solutions!" Yami muttered exasperatedly under his breath, but evidently no one else heard him.

"Oh, um, I suppose can give it a try-?" Ryou modestly suggested.

Marik smirked before proudly reciting to the foreigner: " _Why_ is a raven like a writing desk?"

Ryou was silent for several minutes as they walked along (well, the original four walked; the two cat-crossbreeds continued their mystifying method of silently floating from branch to branch). The pale foreigner scrunched his face up as he wracked his mind for some sort of answer. He didn't want to disappoint the playful feline hybrid, but what _on Earth_ did a raven have in common with a desk?! The entire time, Marik continued watching the foreigner's expressions, evidently very eager to know if the newcomer could come up with some sort of answer.

The cat-breed's vividly violet eyes widened as Ryou eventually opened his mouth. The group had just passed by a particularly large oak tree when the foreigner submitted a humble reply. "Um, well; they do both grow 'pinions-?"

Marik's eyes widened before he let out another melodic trill of delight. "Oh, you're _PUNNY_ as well! Good show, good show!" He began clapping again, with his partner soon joining in.

Jou tilted his head, his golden ears flopping to one side as he listened in bewilderment. "I don' get it."

"It's a pun, Jounouchi." Yugi kindly explained. "A raven's outermost wing feathers are called 'pinion' feathers; while a writing desk is used to jot down your thoughts, or 'opinions.' It's a play on the fact that both of those words are very similar."

"Oh." Jou shrugged, clearly losing interest. "I never liked riddles anyway."

"I'm sure the feeling is mutual." Marik quipped as he smoothly darted from tree to tree, earning a growl from the half-dog. "Anyway, this is the end of the line for our entire party-" the cat creature gestured towards a smaller split in the main trail- "the right path should take you directly to the Caterpillar's house- he lives in hollowed-out tree trunk on the right side, about 400 meters down."

Malik and Marik grinned at each other before they turned back to Ryou and recited: "You have proven yourself to be a most delightful little treasure, and we would both like to extend an invitation to drop by any time you are able!" They spoke in almost perfectly mirrored syllables, giving their words a rather mysterious echo effect.

But rather than being unnerved, Ryou found it amusing, and he grinned as he sincerely wished them well. "Thank you very much, and farewell! I do hope we meet again!"

Before anyone could react, both cat creatures disappeared and reappeared on either side of Ryou's cheekbones. They each kissed one side of face before floating away with twin cackles of delight. Ryou felt himself flushing at this outpouring of adoration, but no one else said anything. Evidently, random acts of affection were par for the course when it came to the two cat-creatures.

His face was still burning as he followed the hatted leader down the new path. 'Well, at least they helped us out... still, I'm not certain I'd trust being left alone with those two... though I did rather enjoy those riddles!'


	6. Chapter 6

And so the four unusual travelers continued down the path the two cat-creatures had shown them. Eventually Jou began speaking with their hatted leader, and the taller pair slowly fell behind until Ryou and Yugi were leading the way.

"Yugi, I do wish you wouldn't go ahead of us." Yami quietly warned the rabbit-hybrid as he continued to outpace them.

"I'll be fine, Yami. I doubt anything else will happen to- _eeeEEEEEK!_ " Yugi let out a growing cry of shock as he was suddenly hoisted into the air.

"YUGI!" Yami watched as the kind crossbreed was swiftly lifted above the rest of the group in some sort of woven rope snare.

"It's a net trap!" Jou pointed to the strange tangle of ropes leading from the now-airborne hybrid back up into the tree tops. "There mus' be a counterweight somewhere!" The three travelers began searching for a way to get Yugi down, when they heard a dark chuckle from somewhere ahead.

"Who goes there?!" Yami called out, his loud voice betraying his anger.

Two boys suddenly stepped onto the path- one had thick, round glasses lying beneath a turquoise crown of bowl-cut hair. The other was wearing a knit cap over a rather wild bunch of long, brunette strands. They were dressed in identical, dark-brown robes, and they began chuckling as they both folded their arms.

"The Tweedle brothers!" Jou gasped before his face set into a deep scowl. He began growling in a deep and far more animalistic manner than Ryou thought possible. " _ **Hey!**_ _What you're playin' at, messin' with my lil' buddy?!_ Get 'im down right now!"

"Not so fast, foolish trespassers!" The green-haired brat spoke in an annoying high-pitched tone. He mockingly wagged one index finger at the travelers. "You see, there's a toll to pass through these woods, and we've got plenty more traps... waiting... for..." The glasses-wearing twerp finally noticed the Hatter, who was giving the pair a look of unbridled rage. Indeed, Yami's eyes seemed to turn from purple to red, and they blazed with fury as he leered at the trap-setter.

" **LET. HIM. GO.** **O** _ **r you will find that your**_ _ **own**_ _ **remains will fit easily through the holes of that net."**_

Yami's voice was bitingly sharp, and it seemed to strike the brothers like a batch of blades. They watched in horror as Yami suddenly drew a very large dagger from within his dark-green jacket, and pointed it towards the pair of pranksters.

"S***, it's _Sir Yami_!"

"The King's top knight?!"

The two brothers suddenly changed their tone entirely, bowing and rubbing their heads in abashment.

"Ah-hah hah, sorry; sorry!" The duo nervously chuckled as they waved their hands back and forth in an appeasement gesture. "We'll get your friend down right away!"

The former knight only uttered one word: " _NOW_."

"Y-yes sir!" The two extortionists promptly crashed into one another in their hurry to appease the weapon-wielding man. After some low cursing and rope-shifting, the counterweight fell and Yugi was slowly lowered back to the ground.

Yugi gasped as he was finally back on terra firma, although he was still wrapped in layers of cording. "Um, Jou? Ryou? Could you maybe lend a hand or two?"

The Tweedles moved forwards, as though to step in; but one flourish from Yami's blade was all it took for them to get the message, and they kept back.

Meanwhile, the two light-haired travelers quickly set to work unraveling the twisted mess of rough netting. Eventually Yugi was free, and he quickly hopped away from the tangled ropes with a look of relief.

"Thank heavens! Thank you Ryou, Jou." The crossbreed turned to thank the Hatter, but found that he was currently busy rebuking the two brothers.

Indeed, Yami looked ready to explode, and his entire body shook as he reprimanded the pair.

" _Do you think yourself to be bandits?!_ What are you playing at, tricking and extorting passerby?! If I was still with my garrison I would have you dragged back to the king's castle to face his own wrath! Now undo all your other traps before I remind you of WHY I was knighted!"

The two fools quickly scrambled away from the group, promising that they would take down the rest of their snares and pits. They began darting through the trees, apparently removing the many traps they'd been setting. Yami watched them with a cold stare, but his gaze soon softened when he was approached by Yugi.

"Are you alright?"

The shyer hybrid nodded before hopping upwards and gave his rescuer a quick peck on the cheek to emphasize his appreciation. "Yes... thank you, Yami."

The now slightly-flushed Hatter smiled before turning his attention back to their group. "Jou, Ryou- thank you. Hopefully we shall avoid any further annoyances, but just to be safe..." Here he gave a pointed glance towards his near-look-alike.

"I'll stay behind you and Jou." Yugi added, his face still somewhat flushed with embarrassment.

"That's all I ask." As the four made to move on, the two Tweedles could be heard muttering something mutinous from behind a nearby bush. Jou snarled in their direction, but was only greeted by a faint snickering sound in reply.

The Hatter suddenly picked up two large pebbles from the side of the road, and began moving them thoughtfully around his right palm.

"Yami..." Yugi warned.

"Fine, fine- I'll put them down." He suddenly tossed the two stones over his shoulder, which resulted in two loud yelps from the Tweedles as each one was hit right on top of their head. Yami's smirk barely faded as Yugi glared at him. "Whoops."

Ryou couldn't help but be impressed by the double-projectile hit. "What perfect aim!"

The hatter merely smirked again at this praise, but Yugi only put one palm over his own forehead and muttered, " _please_ , don't encourage him..."

Jou let out a low snigger as they carried on. Evidently such tiny quarrels were par for the course for the friends. Once again, Ryou felt himself growing almost jealous of their closeness and casual nature. His thoughts were distracted, however, when a strange series of shadows suddenly fell over the gravel trail and its travelers.

"Oh!' Ryou gasped and looked upwards in confusion. There was a great many somethings floating high above them, blocking out small patches of the sun. It looked like a swarm of birds- yet, something was off. The wings were far smaller than the long bodies, and the animals were moving in a very strange way- almost as though they were twisting and weaving through the air.

Ryou couldn't help but stare at the strange specks way up in the sky. "Um, Yami? What are _those_?"

Jou quickly interrupted. "Oh, way up there? Those're flying fish."

The foreigner gaped in astonishment. "Wait, so they're _fish_ , but they can _fly_?!"

Yami nodded sagely. "Yes, but they have to stay very high up in order to receive water particles from the clouds. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to use their gills, and they would suffocate."

Bewildered, Ryou watched the flying fish as they all turned in one direction. "Then, what do they eat?"

Yami gave him a look of confusion, as though the answer was fairly obvious. "Lightning Bugs and Lunar Moths, of course."

"Oh, of course." Ryou kept his lips closed as he watched the curious creatures nearly dancing through the clouds. 'How can they swim, er, fly so close to one another without knocking in to one another?'

"We're nearly there." Yami soon informed the others. Yugi and Jou both nodded, but Ryou felt a bit more apprehensive. After all, he still knew nothing of this 'Caterpillar' person- or even if he was a person at all! "Yami?" The past-knight glanced at the nervous newcomer. "Um, what is this 'Caterpillar' like? Is- is he an insect, of some sort?"

"Nope, he's a traditional bipedal hybrid, like Jou and myself." Yugi cheerfully quipped. "He lives on in the Tulgey Woods because of all the mysterious plants that can only be grown here."

Yami nodded in agreement before elaborating. "Yes, the Caterpillar is a wise old creature who stays deep in the forest- he's rather isolated, but he's found that the soil there is perfect for growing many unusual herbs and plants with magical properties. He keeps a large garden, and he sells his items to those who need them through a hollow tree trunk that serves as his 'storefront'."

It sounded like an enchanting calling, and Ryou's eyes widened at the thought. "How fascinating..."

"I believe we're coming upon his storefront now." Yami smiled as he nodded towards the road ahead.

Jou's golden ears suddenly lifted to attention, and he looked around the still forest. "Hm, seems we might be outta luck- I don' see or hear anyone."

"He may not be in at the moment- he does have many plants to attend to." Yugi suggested his friend.

After a quick dash into the trees, Jou ran back to the others and confirmed. "You're right- I think he's out, Yug'."

Yami nodded and gestured to the soft grasses lining the sides of the pathway. "Then we'll wait."

The others seemed content to sit on the ground and await the Caterpillar's arrival without question, but Ryou felt his curiosity growing. The inquisitive teen glanced down the right side of the path, and saw a massive, old tree that had likely once been a mighty oak. The dried trunk was carefully carved into a rough 'store-front' style stand. The bark had been knocked off the lower front-half, and in its place was a large carving reading: 'CATERPILLAR'S CURES AND CURIOSITIES.'

Intrigued, Ryou asked if he could observe the tree closer, and Yami nodded. He saw no harm in a little curiousness, and they had no way of knowing how long the Caterpillar would be tending to his gardens.

Pleased, the foreign youth stepped closer to the aging trunk. If the outside of the Caterpillar's outpost was intriguing, then the inside was beyond fascinating.

The half-moon shaped opening into the tree revealed rows and rows of shelves carved right into the very oak itself. Every conceivable space was filled with either dried bundles, preservative jars, or clear vases bursting with plant matter. It was almost like every color of the rainbow had exploded all over the round room.

Ryou felt his gaze drifting around the spherical inner storage- the many dried flowers hanging from the wooden ceiling were all oddly foreign. He'd never seen purple blooms with orange stems before; nor the strange, swirling green vines seemingly covered in tiny pink-and-blue buds. A rather thorny clump hanging in the center of the room caught his eye. He noticed that the flowers on this batch seemed to be growing backwards- the petals went outwards before bending back down towards the plant's stem.

"How very curious..." Ryou was just leaning over the wooden opening to better marvel at the plants, when a hearty voice jolted him back to reality.

"Good day!"

" _ **GAH!"**_ Ryou felt his heart begin racing from the shock of suddenly-appearing shop owner.

"Goodness, I didn't mean to give you such a fright! Please, don't mind me; I tend to talk very loud- goes with getting older, you know."

Ryou watched as the aging proprietor stepped inside the back of the wooden shop. Apparently the 'caterpillar' was actually a very short and human-like being. He was wearing a grey shirt under a pair of dark green overalls. The knees of his clothing were covered in dirt, and he wore thick gardening gloves on all four of his hands. Aside from the multiple arms and two antennae atop his head, he looked like an ordinary old man.

"I-it's quite alright; I shouldn't have been so nosy!" Ryou stuttered an apology as he was soon surrounded by Jou, Yami, and Yugi.

"Nonsense, nothing wrong with a bit of curiosity! After all, I sell plenty of them!" The Caterpillar chuckled a bit at the pun, before greeting the other visitors. "My, but what a crowd you've brought today! And is that you, my dear Yugi? Goodness, you keep sprouting like that and you'll be taller than myself in no time!"

Yugi smiled and happily nodded at the proprietor. "It's good to see you again, too!"

"Wait, you know the Caterpillar?" Jou glanced from the bunny-eared boy back to the bug-like man. "I didn' know that!"

"Oh yes, he caused me quite a bit of trouble in his youth." The older creature chortled. "I would often catch little Yugi trying to eat my herbs from time to time- I don't mind a small nibble on the radishes, but some of the other plants can have nastier effects on the consumer..."

Jou suddenly perked up and grinned. " _Oh_ , like tha' time you turned blue after eatin' those-"

"YES, Jou; thank you!" Yugi replied a little curtly. Evidently he still remembered the incident well.

"Well, you didn't really try anything after that; so let's be thankful it was only a temporary color change." The Caterpillar added with a light chuckle. "Hm, but what can I do for you today? I'm guessing you weren't just walking through the woods on a whim?" The hybrid's four hands were constantly moving as he spoke- occasionally rubbing his head or scratching his chin, or just dusting the excess soil from the gardener's shoulders and kneecaps.

Feeling a bit nervous, Ryou glanced over at the Hatter, who gave him an encouraging nod. The stranded foreigner returned the gesture before finally speaking on his own behalf. "Erm, Mr. Caterpillar? Sir?"

"Tch, 'sir', you say? Goodness, but you're quite the polite youngster- just call me 'Grandpa', like everyone else. I'm certainly old enough to be yours!"

Ryou felt his heart lighten as he took in the humble tone. This hybrid man may look strange, but he seemed very warm and jovial.

"Right, um, 'Grandpa'- I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you might know a way to get back to my world? I'm afraid I need some help returning home..."

"Oh-ho? 'Back' to your world, you say?"

Jou quickly grabbed one of Ryou's shoulders as he spoke. "Ryou's from another realm, an' needs t' get back there- can you help us?"

"Hmm... I'll see." 'Grandpa' Caterpillar turned back towards the hopeful foreigner. "First, pray tell me, _how_ did this otherworlder manage to find a way to Wonderland?" The old man calmly inquired of the group.

"Well, we were trying to find a match for the king..." Yugi quietly explained, clearly embarrassed by the admission. "...and I set up a 'trap,' of sorts, and, well..."

"Hmm... a match for the Red King, you say?" The 'Caterpillar' glanced over the foreigner with one hand on his chin. "In that case, I imagine she would look much better in a dress." The gardening man commented, his hand still on his chin as he nodded his head thoughtfully. "Yes, preferably something blue or off-white- you should take her to the marketplace first, before you try presenting her at the palace."

Ryou felt his expression sink as he tried not to groan aloud in disappointment.

"Erm, Grandpa?" Yugi hastily tugged on the hem of the elder man's sleeve, his face a bit abashed.

"Eh?" The elder creature glanced at the shorter crossbreed. "What're you on about then?"

The black-furred rabbit-boy then whispered something urgently in the caterpillar-man's ear.

"Oh, my apologies, young traveler; it seems I was mistaken." He gave a deep laugh before waving one hand about in a gracious gestured. "In that case: welcome to our realm, otherworlder."

Ryou hid his disappointment behind a thin smile as he lamented his yet-again-questioned gender.

'WHY do people here keep mistaking me for a girl... then again, I suppose I shouldn't judge, given how wildly the denizens seem to vary... at least I'm not the only solely-human running about...'


	7. Chapter 7

A short explanation later, and the elderly Caterpillar was finally able to weigh in on the group's conundrum. "Hmm... so you want to send him back home, you say?"

Yami nodded firmly. "Yes- the portal Yugi used to reach Ryou's world was an outward-only link, and the opening is far too small for anything larger than his rabbit form."

"Hm, then you seek a similar port, an outward one with a large enough diameter to allow human passage..." The elderly hybrid nodded with one hand still on his chin. "Yes... that is quite a task. Those secret points of travel have been arbitrarily discovered and re-forgotten for many centuries."

"So, do you have any sort of diagrams or maps pertaining to the other locations of such portals?" Yugi prompted hopefully.

Grandpa sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not hold the knowledge you seek. Those portals are far older than even myself, and their locations are random and not well known. Though I attempted many expeditions in my youth, my interest in the portals is a recent endeavor; and I am no longer able to travel about and search for them in person. The only knowledge I have matches your own- I know of the portal Yugi went through, and the inward one you came through." He gestured towards the otherworlder with an apologetic look. The tired youth felt his shoulders slump in noticeable letdown.

"Oh dear..." Ryou wasn't sure why, but for some reason he didn't feel nearly as concerned as he probably should have.

"However," here the Caterpillar folded all four of his arms and spoke quite seriously, "it is very likely that the king _himself_ would know. There are several books in the royal library that contain information on crossings between the realms. I would suggest that you request an audience with his majesty- he is far more even-tempered with expected guests."

"The King?" Ryou felt his throat tighten at the mention of the fierce monarch. "Would... would he really help me?"

"The law decrees that it is the responsibility of the reigning court to handle any issues with the portals... however; there's no denying that our leader is as mischievous as he is irreverent." Yami admitted grimly.

Grandpa nodded and added, "Indeed- but unfortunately I cannot foresee any alternatives. The largest library in the land is within the Red Castle, and no-one gains access without the approval of the King. You must first gain his favor, and then you may be allowed to view the texts you seek."

Yami looked somewhat stern as he spoke. "It looks like we must make our way to the Red Castle, then."

But the old man behind the counter chuckled and wagged one of his many index fingers towards the group. "Do you forget that I store some of the most magical components of our world? Oh-ho, you insult me by assuming that my shop is so poorly stocked!" 'Grandpa' gave a playful wink as he added, "no, you'll be there before you know it, thanks to my 'Wanderdust' blend!"

The Caterpillar soon began grabbing various items off the shelves. He seemed to be taking mostly sealed ingredient jars, but he also took some empty bottles and a few measuring spoons.

Jou let out an excited bark and exclaimed, "I've always wanted to try traveling by Wanderdust!"

"Hush!" 'Grandpa' warned the blonde hybrid, his hands all holding different vials and measuring devices. "I have to weigh the components out exactly, or else you may not end up where you think!"

The chagrined canine-mix only nodded, but his enthusiasm hardly seemed dampened by the warning.

Meanwhile, Yugi looked a bit more unnerved, and he glanced upwards at the Hatter. "Yami, have you ever traveled by Wanderdust before?"

"Once." The former knight admitted. "It was... an interesting experience. Not all that pleasant, but there's no denying the swiftness of the journey."

The black-eared rabbit-mix didn't look entirely reassured, but he just nodded before looking back towards the Caterpillar.

The entire group watched as the gray-haired hybrid began mixing the aforementioned solution. The magic-artifacts keeper occasionally muttered instructions to himself as he worked. "...let's see now; a hint of silver birch bark, a few blue lotus petals, dried star fruit extract, some crushed gold beetle shells..."

Each of the visitors watched in fascination as the four arms moved about in a frenzy of measuring and mixing and funneling.

'How on Earth does he keep track?!' Ryou watched, fully immersed in the near-magic show in front of them. 'He must be quite skilled at combining potions!'

The older cross-breed finally began slowing down, and he grinned as he held up what seemed to be a jar of ordinary dirt. "And of course, soil from the castle grounds, to secure the destination!" The Caterpillar added the final ingredient with a flourish, before blending everything together with a metal stirrer.

The dust itself was a rich shade of indigo, interspersed with small flecks of what looked like slivers of gold and silver. 'Grandpa' then began carefully sweeping the blend into a tiny vial, which caused it to shimmer.

"How extraordinary!" Ryou quietly gasped as the fine particles glistened like stars in the night.

"Right, now we'll all need to stand outside the shop-" the elder hybrid stepped outside the hollow trunk and began ushering the four travelers back onto the path, "-and then I'll need to place a dash of dust on your foreheads. Make sure you think of where you need to go- don't worry about imagining an actual picture, but just think of the destination in your head."

Ryou nodded as the kindly hybrid began dabbing a bit of Wanderdust onto their temples. The dust tickled slightly, but it had a pleasant smell rather like lavender and mint.

"Alright, now just close your eyes while thinking of the Red Castle, and I'll say the inciting words."

Grandpa waited for everyone's eyes to close, and then he bellowed loudly into the still forest: " _Vagentur ut vis, sed sempre quaerere cor tuum!_ _"_

Therewas a sudden sensation of the Earth falling around him, and Ryou gasped as he felt as though he was being pulled downwards through a tight tunnel. There was a great force pushing against him from all sides, and for a moment he feared something had gone wrong. But then he felt himself hitting something solid, and he opened his eyes to find that he was on another road. This pathway was lined with gravel, and far better-tended than the forest trail.

The young foreigner glanced around- less than a hundred feet to his right lay what was undoubtedly one of the castle's walls.

"Wow..." The thick stones must have been stacked at least twenty feet tall. The imposing bricks were all larger than Ryou's torso, and wild vines stretched across the entire facade. The whole expanse was so wide that he could hardly see around it.

'That was fast, but it wasn't exactly pleasant... I can see why Yami said what he did... speaking of... where is everyone?' The white-haired teen felt his stomach drop as he looked up and down the road he was currently on.

It was empty.

"Yugi? Yami? Jou?" Panic started to set in, and Ryou began calling their names repeatedly. "Yugi! Yami!"

"Over here!" A lone voice managed to reply.

"Jou?!" Ryou turned around, and was relieved to see the lanky crossbreed sitting on the ground several feet behind him. "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, my head hurts somewhat; but I'll live." The golden-eared hybrid frowned as he also looked about. "Wait, where's everyone else?"

The foreign youth glanced around again, but the area was still empty. "I don't think they came with us- maybe 'Grandpa' got the ingredients wrong?"

"He's getting' older, but he's got the best skills in the land- nah, I'm bettin' it has somethin' to do wit' Yami bein' a former knight." Jou began brushing off his garments as he stood up. "Since he's not allowed in the castle, I'm guessin' the king has some sort of ward or spell that blocks him from appearin' on the property."

"Oh!" Ryou glanced around in confusion. "But... then why didn't they just appear somewhere nearby? Surely Yami and maybe Yugi know the area that lays outside the castle grounds? Couldn't they have focused on that?"

Jou let out a brief chuckle and gave the confused otherworlder a knowing look. "Well, y'see... they're awfully sweet on each other, and Yami's been out of town for weeks before today. I don' think they're thinkin' all that clearly right now, an' when 'Grandpa' asked them to focus..."

"Ah." Ryou sighed. He could hardly fault the two for their distractions, but it was still a distressing development. They'd managed to lose the one person in their group who knew the castle layout well enough to not get hopelessly lost inside it. "I hope they're alright."

"I'm sure they're fine- from what I hear, Wanderdust sends you to a random place in your mind if you aren't thinkin' straight. So they're probably somewhere nearby, likely at one of their homes or the marketplace."

"Well that's most fortunate, but I'm afraid it doesn't help us very much." The pale youth sighed. "How are we supposed to get into the castle without Yami?" Ryou glanced at the dog-boy. "It's not like _we're_ close friends with any of the guards; still, should we try and go to the main gates?"

Jou let out an awkward chuckle as he waved his hands back-and-forth in a 'nix' gesture. "The king ain't so fond of myself, an' I doubt he'll let a foreigner in without a fuss. He's fearful of invaders, y'see."

Ryou felt his shoulders sinking- how could he find his way home now?

"But don' worry!" Jou added, clearly trying to cheer up the despondent visitor. "I know a sure-fire way we can get in without alertin' any of the guards!"

"Are- are you certain of that?" Ryou didn't want to offend the helpful hybrid, but he found it a bit hard to believe that Jou possessed the art of stealth.

"Yep!" The blonde cross-breed grinned as he suddenly ran towards the imposing outer wall. "This is a secret entrance- almost everyone outside the court knows about it!"

This statement did not help Ryou's anxiety. 'Is it really even a 'secret', then?' Still, he obediently followed the canine-human up to the castle's outermost barrier.

"Ah-hah! I knew it! It's here!" Jou triumphantly pointed to a large, leafy bush growing just in front of the brick wall. The look on the other's youths face must have said enough, because the blonde hastily elaborated, "it's hidden, see?" The native Wonderlander then pulled back on several of the bush's branches to reveal a set of loose bricks. One swift shove was all it took to force the gray stones to tumble inward, creating a modest-sized hole in the barrier.

"You'll hafta crawl, but it should be big enough!" The optimistic blonde promised.

"That's brilliant, Jou!" Ryou gleefully praised the hybrid's prowess. "I can fit through there, no problem!"

The blonde's chestnut-colored eyes widened in delight, and he kept the branches pulled back to keep the way clear. "Great! Then you go first, an' I'll put the stones back after I've followed ya!"

"Ok, just give me a minute to get fully clear." Ryou dropped down to a crawl before pushing his way through the rubble-lined hole. It took a bit of wriggling, but eventually he made it through without getting stuck. "Perfect! I'm clear!"

But before Jou could reply, the foreign teen heard a much deeper voice yelling angrily from somewhere on the outer side of the wall.

" **HALT!** _Who goes there_?!"

Ryou thought he heard Jou curse, before there was a sudden *snap* sound as the branches were released and flew back into place, effectively covering the hole. There was a sound of footsteps disappearing, and then, nothing.

"Jou?" Ryou tried to call out, but didn't dare raise his voice for fear of discovery. "Jou!"

But there was no answer.


	8. Chapter 8

" _HALT! Who goes there?!"_

 _He thought he heard Jou curse, before there was a sudden sound of footsteps running away._

" _Jou?" Ryou tried to call out, but couldn't raise his voice for fear of discovery. "Jou!"_

 _But there was no answer._

Ryou listened intently from his still-kneeling position behind the stone wall. But there was no further sounds from the other side of the massive barrier.

"Oh dear... now what should I do?"

Despondent, Ryou quietly lifted the loose bricks and slid them back into place. He took extra care not to put them back in _too_ tightly. 'Jou should be able to get through himself; _if_ he manages to get away from those guards... I do hope he's alright!'

The fretting foreigner slowly stood up while still facing the outer wall. 'I suppose I'm on my own now; but how on Earth can I my way through a massive castle without any instructions, or even a guide?'

But his anxious feelings were almost squelched when he turned around to take in his surroundings.

"Oh!" Ryou felt his heart nearly stop as he saw the most vivid and beautiful garden he'd ever laid eyes on. "I must be inside the Red Castle's garden!"

Indeed, the most lurid landscape imaginable greeted his awed gaze. The botanic splendor covered a large area of well-tended pathways, and was dotted with occasional statues and fountains. The carefully cultivated areas seemed to be filled with flowers of every color, shape, and size. Many were beyond Ryou's recognition ('is that a purple vine with green-and-pink flowers?!') but they all appeared delightfully brilliant. His mind felt a bit dazed as he slowly stepped among the exotic vegetation.

'Oh my... this is quite an enchanting display! Those look like giant roses, but surely they wouldn't have curled, triangular leaves like that... and those blooms almost look like daisies; if their petals faded from white to pink to purple!'

The lost teen felt his breath hitch as he saw a small plot of assorted flowers more native to his own world. 'Those look like daisies, although they're much more shiny and white than most... and those roses are so lush and fragrant...'

As Ryou gazed over the healthy and vibrant array, he couldn't suppress a note of awe. "Oh, what _beautiful_ blossoms!"

"Why, thank you!"

"Waagh!" Ryou nearly fell over in shock as a small, squeaky voice suddenly broke the silence. A particularly brilliant daisy was leaning closer than before, and it almost seemed to have a tiny face in its golden center...

"You- you can talk?!" The curious youth lowered his voice as he watched the other flowers begin to move and respond in kind.

"Of course we can talk!" The same daisy added (with just a hint of indignation). "The problem is, will anyone _listen_?"

A nearby magenta-and-white colored lily chimed in with its own opinion. "There's no point in talking if nobody's listening, you know!"

The stunned boy tried not to stutter out his response. "O-oh, my apologies! You see, in the world I come from; flowers don't usually talk."

A lovely bluebell branch shifted closer. "Perhaps they're just shy! You should try speaking kindly with them, on a closer level like this!"

"Er, I'm not sure if shyness is the problem..." Ryou admitted confusedly. "I suspect they just don't want to talk to human people."

"Then maybe your people need a better brand of mouthwash?" A large, peach-toned rose suggested bluntly.

"Versilia! Don't be rude!" The lily chastised the other bud by swatting her with a large leaf. "There's nothing wrong with his breath, and you know it! It smells just as sweet as babies' breath!"

"Don't you swat at me, you old tigress!" The rose replied. "You were likely thinking the very same thing!"

Soon all the flowers in that section were squabbling animatedly, with around half the bed taking the lily's side, and the rest to sticking by the rose.

Frustrated by the myriad of tiny, quarreling voices; Ryou finally spoke up. "Please! I don't mean to interrupt, but I really must gain an audience with the king! Can you _please_ help me?"

A stark silence instantly fell over the entire garden at those words. The flowers all turned to glance at one another before quietly gossiping to their neighbors.

"She wishes to see the _k_ _ing_?!"

"She's clearly mad!"

"She'll be thrown out on her rear!"

'Oh, not again...' Ryou wanted to correct the flowers on his gender, but he soon had very little chance as all the blooms began talking for a second time.

The peach-toned rose finally leaned forward, her tone very cautionary as she shouted over the other blossoms. "You must be incredibly careful, otherworlder. Our King is infamously bad tempered!" The surrounding blooms all nodded in agreement with the rose's warning. "He's also a terribly selfish brat; a nasty, childish despot with little respect for anyone or anything-!"

One of the smaller lilies quickly hushed the taller rose. "Hold your tongue, or he'll have you plucked and thrown out!"

But the prickly rose only seemed to quiver with rage. "I'd like to see him try! I'd give him some deep scratches to remember me by first!"

The original lily sighed as she addressed Ryou in a low tone. "Forgive her; she's a bit thorny today."

Which led the alien traveler to ponder, 'isn't she thorny _every_ day?' Still, Ryou noticed the silence that had befallen the various blooms, and saw his chance to yet again speak up. "Um, but I really _**must**_ see him in order to get home- he's the only one who can help me, you see." He then turned to glance directly at the rose's 'face'. "Still, I do very much appreciate your gracious concern, Miss Rose."

Ryou watched in astonishment as the rose's petals grew a slightly darker shade along the edges at his words. 'Is- is that a form of blushing?'

Apparently the rose was quite flattered, and she let out a soft laugh before nodding. "Very well. The king is usually seated in his throne room- you can find it by going through that door-" here the helpful flower pointed with one green leaf towards a set of heavy, wooden doors, "-and heading to the left. You'll reach a fork, so take the right turn, and then _another_ right as soon as you can after. That should bring you to the king's court."

"Left, right, and a right- got it!" Ryou was just about to add his thanks again, when the daisy hastily interrupted him:

"And whatever you do, do _NOT_ touch the golden tiles! Those are for the king's use _**only**_!"

The foreigner wasn't sure what the flower meant by 'golden tiles,' but figured he'd recognize them if he came across any. He nodded as he turned to leave. "I'll keep an eye out for them- thank you, everyone! Your help is much appreciated, and you have my sincere thanks!" Ryou called back over his shoulder as he ran towards the twin doors.

The entire garden seemed to send him off with fond calls and cries as he made his way past the rest of the beds.

"Good luck!"

"Be careful!"

"Keep your wits sharp!"

Eventually the thick doors closed with a loud _***thud!***_ behind the white-haired youth.

The rose then turned to the daisy and quipped cheerfully, "well, she seemed rather nice."

Meanwhile, Ryou had opened the twin arched doors (the ease of this feat surprising even himself- 'what a wondrous sort of wood these doors must be made of, to be so _light_ yet so _strong_?!') and soon found himself inside a highly opulent hallway.

"Whoa..." The foreign youth gasped as he noticed the finely polished sconces on the wall- they seemed to be made of real gold, and glowed as though lit from within. The floors were covered in perfectly square slates of white-and-grey marble; and the walls were painted a rich, deep burgundy. The embellished molding on the ceiling was painted in whimsical swirls of black and gold, and a flawless mahogany railing sat on either side of the long corridor.

'My goodness... this is the most luxurious hall I've ever seen!' As he dazedly stepped forward, Ryou noticed something glistening shamelessly in one small corner nook. 'And that must be what the daisy had mentioned- the 'King's tile!''

The fascinated student walked until he was directly in front of the 'special' piece. He stared in awe as the beautiful gilded square seemed to shimmer. The king's corner tile was the same size as the marble ones, but it was covered in a pale, gold leaf that seemed almost iridescent.

"Oh my..." The entranced visitor felt his wonder increase as he took in the ornate engraving in the center of the tile. It looked like a royal throne, with a very embellished crown resting on the seat itself. "What a beautiful symbol..." The distracted youth failed to realize that he was speaking out loud, and he leaned forward as he took in the detailed etchings.

" _ **HALT! WHO GOES THERE?!"** _

Ryou let out a startled yelp as someone bellowed towards him. It only took a millisecond for him to lose his balance, and the boy fell forwards with a cry of surprise. Yet the instant his nose touched the floor, he didn't feel pain- instead, something seemed to pull him further. The unique tile suddenly gave off a brilliant, golden glow; and Ryou's entire body vanished.

The black-haired guard watched as the glow faded, leaving behind no trace of the intruder.

"Oh... s**t."


	9. Chapter 9

_The unique tile suddenly gave off a brilliant, golden glow; and Ryou's entire body vanished._

 _The black-haired guard watched as the glow faded, leaving behind no trace of the intruder._

" _Oh... s**t."_

Meanwhile, a rather nettled voice was reverberating loudly off the gilded walls of the royal throne room.

"For the last time, _cousin;_ I do not require a bloody woman! Which means I need an _advisor_ , not a d*mned matchmaker! Now _**enough**_ with this 'romantic' nonsense; and fetch me the topographical map for the new western borders!"

The massive room only had four current occupants at the moment: one being the king himself, who was seated on a golden throne with red velvet cushions. He had a very displeased look on his face; as though a particularly troublesome fly was buzzing about, refusing to leave him alone.

A young woman with lilac-colored hair and violet eyes was standing just before the throne. She was dressed very formally, with white lace gloves and a small, matching parasol. Her pale-yellow gown was accentuated with even more lace and ornaments. But her eyes were currently wide with disbelief, and her lower lip was trembling. "But, your highness-! I have come all the way from the land of Alusia to seek your favor!"

"Then you seek in vain." The king snorted before turning to the guard escorting the lady. "I have no desire for her. _Now leave_."

Even the armor-wearing guard seemed rather off-put by this harsh rejection, and he quietly protested. "B-but, your majesty-!"

Yet the monarch only gave him a quelling glare before resuming the discussion with his (rather tall) advisor.

The purple-haired girl was crying softly as she was escorted out by the brown-haired guard. He seemed to treat her with an unusual gentleness, barely even touching her arms as he quietly guided her.

"Tch- such foolish sentimentality. Affection is nothing more than a sign of weakness, easily exploited by the enemy." The wild-haired ruler quietly hissed to himself, annoyed by this latest tirade of travelers. The adolescent king was feeling particularly overwhelmed this afternoon- ever since he'd reached his 18th year two months ago, he'd been inundated with all sorts of deluded admirers. To make matters worse, the young sovereign _knew_ his reputation as a fierce and unlikeable tyrant had spread to every corner of their world. Which meant that all the 'love-crazed' females now pursuing him, were merely after his titles and wealth- nothing else.

His brow furrowed beneath his silver crown, the disenchanted monarch scowled as he reflected on the problem. 'All this false flattery, and those contemptible tokens of fondness- it _sickens_ me... do they truly believe proclaiming an 'instantaneous attraction' will lead to me instantly sharing _**my**_ kingdom?! Tch- simpering fools. There is _no-one_ in this realm that I would deign that honor to, and I'll nail an official edict to the d*mn castle gates if I must to dissuade all these _foolish,_ _pathetic __little_ -'

But the royal teen's inner monologue was soon broken by a heavy pounding on the room's metal doors. Scowling, the king barked out one word: "ENTER!"

"Y-your majesty!" An exhausted guard with dark-red hair sudden burst directly into the throne room. It took him a moment to catch his breath, but when he did so he loudly declared: "Your highness! There is an intruder on the castle grounds!"

"An intruder, you say?" The sovereign's red eyes flashed with intrigue. Few people had ever managed to sneak into the palace before. Rather than feeling angry or concerned, the sly monarch felt excited. "Interesting... and where are they now?"

The still-sweating guard laughed nervously. "Er, she was last seen in the gardens. We're not sure where she is right now..."

The immature king's expression soured at the word 'she.' Yet _another_ crazed female trying to convince him that she would make the ' _perfect_ queen'. He had no idea who'd even started the wretched rumor that he was seeking a bride... but he knew what he would do to them if he ever caught them...

The wrathful ruler throw out one hand in dismissal. " _Throw her out_ \- and warn her to never return, on threat of beheading!"

The guard seemed stunned by this vicious threat, and he hesitated as he slowly replied. "Erm, y-yes, your-"

"Wait, what is that noise?" The tall, blue-eyed advisor immediately raised one hand to silence the guard. The three men glanced about as a strange noise started growing. It was a loud 'whooshing' noise, rather like when a heavy stone is chucked down a deep well. "What... is that from one of the king's instantaneous transportation tiles?"

" _ **WAAGHHH!**_ **"** With a loud scream, Ryou felt himself finally hit something solid. The stunned teen gasped as he tried to catch his breath- it seemed as though he'd been falling for ages! His heart was still beating faster than a hummingbird's wings, and his entire body was quivering with adrenaline. The dazed and nauseated teen let out a faint groan as he tried to catch his bearings. "O-oh, oh dear... I don't think I want to do that ever again...!"

The king nearly sweatdropped as he observed the skinny fool now laying ungracefully across his lap. _This_ was the person who had managed to get past his guards?!

Ryou's breathing was just starting to level out, when an infuriated voice suddenly growled right in his ear. " _You will hardly be afforded the chance_ \- now tell me, _foolish_ _ **boy**_ , why I should not kill you right _here and now_ _!_ "

"O-oh my gosh; I'm so sorry, sir!" The still-shaken foreigner gasped as he struggled to scramble off of the sovereign's lap. He managed to assume a humble kneeling position before the foot of the throne dais. "Please pardon my horrid clumsiness; I-I fell onto a tile by accident and I- wait, did you say 'boy?'" Ryou paused at this one specific word, and he raised his face up towards the monarch with hope. "You- you don't think I'm a girl?"

King Bakura frowned in annoyance, his scarlet eyes still narrowed. "Wha- why the hell would I think _that_?!"

Ryou gasped and gave a small cheer as he happily got back to his feet, ignoring the bewildered looks from the palace court. "Oh, _thank goodness!_ I swear, ever since I got here everyone's been _insisting_ I'm a woman!"

The pale monarch raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "You _do_ realize that just because someone says something, that doesn't make it true?"

The newcomer suddenly flushed, and he quickly retorted. "I-I know _that_! It- it was just getting rather insulting, always being called a 'girl,' when I'm not!"

The confusion noble felt his fury slowly abating as he listened. There was something very pleasant about the mysterious gate-crasher's voice... a soft, lilting chirp of a tone, rather like a small bird on a branch. His expression grew more neutral as his mind continued wandering. 'Hmm... he's quite attractive when he blushes... wait, what?'

Sir Seto was about to send the stranger away, when he noticed the odd look on his king's face. The Red King had an unusual expression- one he rarely wore. It was a pleased look; one of interest and liking.

'This could prove beneficial...' the head advisor was wary to predict the moods of his temperamental king; but this was the first time in years that his liege had seemed genuinely excited to meet someone.

Thinking quickly, Sir Seto gave a partial bow before stretching out one arm in introduction. "My lord, I believe _this_ is the otherworlder that is rumored to be invading your kingdom."

Ryou gasped and began frantically waving his hands in refusal. "Oh no! Please, your highness; I have no intention of invading _any_ _thing_! I just want to get back home! I mean you no harm!"

"Oh? Is that so..." The Red King then stood up and slowly descended the white marble steps separating him from the outsider. He began circling the shy foreigner, staring at the lean stranger from top to bottom. "We do not often find otherworlders in this realm."

Ryou was unsure how to respond to such a statement, so he remained silent as he was evaluated. The nervous teen soon noticed the monarch's full appearance for the first time- and immediately saw what Malik and Marik had been arguing over back in the forest. The entrancing ruler had long, silvery hair that shone as he moved. But it was far wilder and messier than Ryou's own white locks. The young king also had a rather handsome face, and his smile was very dazzling- but it also seemed a little insidious. His whole expression came off a bit more sly than Ryou liked. He felt like a tiny mouse being circled by an arctic fox.

(Albeit, a _very_ enticing fox).

Meanwhile, the crowned male was stalling while putting his own thoughts together. This one was different- he could tell. No, this one didn't cower beneath him, or try to fool him with false words- no, he wasn't like the previous suitors at all. Fascinated, the still-circling royal dropped his voice to a far calmer tone.

"What is your name?"

The strange traveler stuttered slightly as he answered. "Um, Ryou B-Bakura, sir."

There was no denying that the otherworldly teen found the ruler to be incredibly attractive, and his face grew flushed as the young monarch stepped even closer.

"You're from another world, then... how interesting."

"Um, yes... I'm sorry, your majesty, but I think there's been a slightly misunderstanding as to why I'm here- I heard tell that you own a book of spells that might be able to send me back to my home. Please, I implore you; could you tell me if this rumor is true or not? I only-"

But the proud leader only turned to the uneasy 'messenger' guard and nodded his approval. "You've done well. I think I'll keep him."

"T-thank you, your highness!" The guard gasped out before bowing his way back out the room's doors. Meanwhile, Ryou was trying not to panic over the Red King's statement.

"Wait, _**what**_?!" The bewildered visitor shrieked. _Keep_ _him?!_ Did the crazy ruler think he was some kind of pet?! "No-no-no-no, I need to get back _home_! I have school tomorrow and I have to finish my homework and prepare my lunch and bring in the mail-!" But the foreign student was cut off as the monarch continued speaking.

"All trivial matters, I'm sure. You'll have no need for such concerns as my courtesan."

Ryou felt his insides freeze at that last term, and his own eyes soon narrowed. "As your _**WHAT?!**_ "

Sir Seto quickly made his way closer, before whispering hastily to his overlord: "I believe you may have inadvertently offended the otherworlder, my liege. Perhaps that word has different connotations in his own realm-?"

"Ah, I see." The young king nodded thoughtfully before turning back to the visitor. "My apologies, then; it seems some cultural clarification may be required. What I meant is this: you will become part of the court as my most prized, personal possession- cared for and adored for the rest of your days."

The change in the foreigner's attitude nearly startled the taller males, and Sir Seto even took a half-step back as the boy seemed to explode.  
 _ **"A POSESSION?!"**_ Ryou's sudden screech was nearly loud enough to shatter glass. The normally timid student felt his last reserves of patience snap. _"I AM_ _ **NOT**_ _A '_ _ **POSESSION'**_ _!"_

The other men were both dumbstruck by the sudden outrage, and Sir Seto found himself unable to speak. Meanwhile, King Bakura was only partly stupefied- his disbelief slowly giving way to his increasing wrath. Yet the bewildered ruler still took a moment to overcome his shock- this strange whelp was openly defying him! Outright, blatantly defying him! He, the ruler of Red Realm! The king leered at the stubborn immigrant and spoke in a deliberate tone. "In case you haven't heard, _otherworlder_ , I am the **King** of Red Wonderland. Anything I _want_ -" he smirked arrogantly, "-I _get_."

Ryou glared right back at the self-important ruler, apparently utterly indifferent to his claims. "That's all fine and well, _your majesty;_ but _I'm_ not one of your subjects- or even one of your world's inhabitants! So you _**can**_ _ **not**_ just order me around!"

King Bakura stared- what was it about this exotic little stranger that made him feel so... _alive_? He wasn't used to matching wits or tempers with an equal- sure, Sir Seto was intelligent; but he hardly made a passionate protest when the king was set on a matter.

The devious monarch gave a wicked grin. "And how, exactly, are you _not_ one of my subjects? You clearly haven't found a way back to your realm- which means you will be living here from now on. Which makes you one of my citizens." The ruler's smirk widened. He was enjoying this little battle of wits immensely.

Ryou spluttered in indignation. "It does _**not**_!" He crossed his arms and stuck out his lower jaw in refute. "Besides, I don't even know if I _can_ live here- what if your water or air eventually proves poisonous to me?"

Yet the mischievous smirk across the handsome ruler's face only grew. "You're very clever, Ryou Bakura; but unfortunately you don't know _everything_ about our world. We have had others from your world visit us here before, and even stay for years." The monarch smiled triumphantly as he leaned towards the adorable foreigner. "Not to mention, you seem fine to me."

Ryou felt his shoulders sink as his puffery slowly deflated.

'Oh cr*p, he called my bluff...'

"Normally, I'd take offense to a foreign invader falling literally into my lap; it's both rude, and a minor assault. Nevertheless, you fascinate me, so you will not face any penalties." The crowned adolescent placed one arm on the left shoulder of his 'claim.' "Now, let me show you my castle."

"No!" The frustrated teen yelped as he tried to wrestle away from the monarch. "I don't belong here; I have to go home!"

Sir Seto seemed about to speak, but before either of the court members could reply, there was a loud yell from the other side of the throne room doors. **"RYOU!"**

Suddenly, a strange group burst loudly through the twin doors. Yami, Jou, Yugi, and even young Mokuba were all there, bedecked in silver armor and all carrying various blades. They seemed deadly serious as they glared at King Bakura and his court.

Yami spoke in an outright bellow. " _ **Let Ryou go!**_ _If you've hurt him, we'll-!"_

Even the cat-hybrids Malik and Marik soon appeared, floating above the gilded door frame of the throne room. They were both showing their fangs and claws in protective defiance of Ryou's 'capture.'

Everyone stared at King Bakura, watching for his reaction. At first his face seemed flat, but then he suddenly started _laughing_. Loudly and wildly, as though he'd just heard one of the greatest jokes ever told.

Several heads tilted in bewilderment as the Red King slowly spoke through the guffaws. "You say you've only been here for a _day_ , and yet you've already won the people's hearts- _ha!_ " The raucous sovereign began clapping his hands together in what was apparently a mix of disbelief and approval. "Incredible. Beyond incredible. That seals it- you are destined to be my Queen."

The other animals fell silent, then Jou let out a thrilled cheer of delight. Soon the others joined in, clearly pleased with their new 'queen.' The joyous shouts soon filled the crowded throne room, the stone walls raising the various echoes to cacophonous levels.

Jou's loud voice still stood out most of all, and he grinned wildly as he proudly yelled. "See?! I toldja the king would like her-er, him!"

Poor Ryou nearly fainted.


	10. Chapter 10

The cheering soon died down, and Ryou noticed two of the 'invaders' were watching him with concern. " _Yugi! Yami!"_ Ryou cried out in delight upon seeing the pair's relieved expressions. He ran over to them as they put away their swords and metal armor.

As soon as Yugi's front chest-piece was removed, he happily wrapped his arms around the foreigner. " _Ryou!_ Thank heavens you made it!"

Ryou quickly accepted Yugi's joyful hug, laughing slightly when the black fur of the hybrid's long, rabbit ears tickled his chin. "I'm so glad you're both alright! Jou and I were worried when you didn't show up by the castle wall!"

"Yes, well; eh-hem- evidently, we were both a bit... scatterbrained today." Yami admitted somewhat apologetically. "But luckily Jou had the good sense to come and find us the moment he was spotted by the guards. And as we rallied together, the others happened to catch word, and, well..."

Jou's golden tail wagged at the hatter's praise. He gave Ryou a sideways wink and mouthed the words 'Yami's house' when the other two males weren't looking. Ryou held back a chuckle and made to embrace the ex-knight, but was stopped when someone stepped between them.

" **YOU!** " King Bakura snarled as he glared directly into the face of his former court member. " **You** were banished from this castle, with the promise of a _beheading_ upon your return!" The arrogant king then rudely poked one finger into the former knight's chest. Yami seemed annoyed by the sovereign's actions, but made no effort to move.

"Indeed, your majesty; I recall your words well. They have stayed with me every day since my dishonorable leave."

"Then _WHY_ are you here now?" King Bakura snapped impatiently. "Surely even _**you**_ aren't foolish enough to test my decrees on a whim!"

Ryou surprised both of the nobles by slipping back between the two. He gave the still-leering monarch a solemn look before speaking. "Your highness, I would never have found my way to this castle without Yami's aid- your world is strange and foreign to me. It has even proven to be dangerous in ways I never could have imagined. Your past subject here-" he nodded towards Yami, "-even saved me after I mistakenly tried to grab a diamond-back snake earlier today."

"..." The leery royal seemed to be boring a hole into the otherworlder with his eyes, as though trying to find some form of lie or coercion in this tale. "Is that true?"

Ryou nodded twice, determined not to let Yami's kindness result in his death.

"Hmm..." Here the scarlet-eyed king turned the same look on his former knight. His words were soon dripping in false sincerity, and he mockingly gave a half-bow of gratitude. "Your actions are appreciated, _Yami_ ; but one gesture is not enough to pardon _years_ of insubordination, and finally outright revolt."

Here Yami's left eye twitched slightly, and a bit of edge came back into his voice. "My 'revolt,' as you call it, was merely my refusal to allow you to risk your life hunting after that ridiculous Snark. My personal resources all said that it was really a Boojum in disguise, and you know full well that such a creature causes a fate worse than death simply by meeting it-!"

"SILENCE!" The furious monarch howled. "You merely wished to steal my glory! No-one has ever captured a Snark, and I would have gone down in history for finding one!"

"Um, what's a Snark?" Ryou whispered to Yugi as the king continued ranting and yelling.

The crossbreed quickly replied in a similar tone: "oh, a Snark is a rare type of creature that can't be found unless you _aren't_ looking for it."

Ryou blinked, clearly not certain how that fact was even known. "But... then surely no one knows what it even looks like?"

Yami shook his head, ignoring the still-bellowing king. "One old taxonomy textbook had a vivid description, but its accuracy has never been confirmed." The former knight cleared his throat before reciting: "'It has the face of a skeletal cat, with long white whiskers; the body of a lithe lizard, dark and scaly and slimy; its claws and fangs are long and ivory-colored, and its tail resembles a purple corkscrew with a dagger-like barb on the end.'"

"Some people think that the barb is incredibly poisonous!" Yugi piped up rather nervously.

Ryou's mouth dropped in a perfect 'o' of fright. "That certainly sounds like a creature you'd want to avoid!"

The rabbit-hybrid sighed, evidently agreeing with the pale outsider. "Yes, but it's also highly debated whether they exist at all, since it's rather hard to prove in the first place (what with the whole 'can't be found' part). So naturally, finding one would be a very impressive feat; and would surely would make the discoverer famous for all time."

The white-haired student tilted his head, still not certain he understood. "I think I see... and what is a 'Boojum', then?"

Jou let out a sharp yelp when he heard the name, and Yugi covered his own mouth with one fur-tufted hand. "Oh! Well, um; we try not to say its name out loud, but..." The slightly-trembling crossbreed lowered his voice as he explained. "One of _those_ creatures is quite dangerous. It has been said that if you see one, even for an _instant_ , your entire body will disappear on the spot! And you'll only leave behind a tiny scrap of clothing or something equally small- which is very hard for anyone else to find, as _they_ only live in wildly mountainous areas. And while _they're_ also rare, they're far more likely to exist as instances of their victims have been well-recorded over hundreds of years."

Ryou felt his own chest tensing in fright. "That sounds utterly horrifying! How does one avoid _them_?"

Yugi ran one hand over his ears, as though smoothing down the disheveled fur. "Well, again, there's rumors and folklore, but nothing amounting to real fact. Most of the tales agree that the best way to avoid a- a ' _Boojum_ ' is to sing loudly as you walk through rocky areas."

This stretched the foreigner's credulity a bit, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he retorted. "You have to sing?"

The rabbit-mix's hatted companion nodded seriously. "As loudly as you can- it's said that the noise echoes off the mountainside cliffs and drives them away. Others will tie a small bunch of freshly-plucked yarrow roots to their packs or clothing- evidently _they_ find the smell repulsive."

"How peculiar... still, I should think one wouldn't want to risk going after either of those animals!"

The stubborn royal snorted and waved one hand in dismissal. "I would have prevailed."

"You would have vanished." Yami replied instantly.

"I was prepared!" The monarch snapped back. "My hunting party had the finest soaps and thimbles and forks on hand! Yet you _insisted_ on letting a scouting party go ahead, which scared the creature off!"

"And one member of that party never returned- or have you forgotten?" Yami's voice grew eerily cold as he remarked, "you know what we found that day- a single drop of blood and the lucky coin that Hirutani always carried. Nothing else."

Ryou gasped and placed a hand over his chin. "How awful..."

But for some reason the royal youth wasn't swayed. "He likely got lost among the canyons! Hardly proof of a 'Boojum' assault! You just wanted to take the credit for my find!"

Ryou was growing annoyed with the king's refusal to accept what- to even an outsider like himself- seemed obvious. His chest puffed up slightly as he tried to defend his friend yet again. "I may be new here, but it sounds to me like Yami saved your life! How else would someone just 'disappear' while leaving behind only a small drop of blood and a coin?" The outspoken otherworlder turned to address the ex-knight. "I assume you and your men thoroughly checked the area for his body?"

The despondent warrior shook his head. "We even used several pure-bred Puhltese tracking dogs- and they found nothing."

Ryou brought his face back to the king's, and boldly declared: "in my world, when someone saves another person's life, they are expected to repay them greatly! Sometimes even by becoming the savior's slave! You could surely spare a little gratitude for such a loyal retainer, who would even aid your whims upon exile?!"

For some reason, Bakura felt himself unable to deflect the unusual youth's defense. " _Fine!_ Yami, you shall not be beheaded, as repayment for your prior actions. However, I will not lift the ban, and I expect you to be far from the castle grounds by sundown!"

The exiled warrior made a deliberate motion as he turned his back on the king. "This place has not been my home for many years- I will leave immediately."

But before he could even take one step; a tall, older man suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere and spoke excitedly to the former knight.

"Oh, but _surely_ you wouldn't leave before the feast~! We have such lovely courses planned, to celebrate the King's betrothal! And rest assured; there'll be plenty of portions for everyone!" The white-haired chef winked when he saw the hungry look now covering Jou's face.

Soon the rest of the 'intruders' were all talking excitedly amongst themselves- it had been ages since there's been a proper feast at the Red Castle!

Meanwhile, the king began gritting his teeth together. Clearly he didn't wish to encourage such a spontaneous invitation, but he could hardly revoke such a loud and exuberant promise without seeming rude. And despite his casually-rebellious attitude, there was no denying that Sir Pegasus was the best chef in the entire realm. _'Dammit... I believe a certain kitchen staff_ _member_ _has just earned himself a_ _significant __salary_ _reduction...'_


	11. Chapter 11

The group was just starting to move towards the dining hall, when the youngest intruder made the mistake of removing his ill-fitting helmet.

" _ **Mokuba!**_ What on Earth do you think you're doing, wearing that armor and holding a sword?!" Sir Seto sounded furious as he instantly recognized his younger sibling. The stern advisor then glanced at the rest of the trespassers, as though they were all at fault.

But the pre-adolescent boy seemed determined not to be discouraged by the elder sibling's tone "Sorry, Seto; but you've always said that there's nothing more important than honor- and Ryou's a very honorable person! Jou told us that he might be trouble, so we all came to protect him!"

Two ice-colored eyes narrowed in disbelief. "That's all well and good, but you need to start thinking ahead before rushing into things. For example, that armor barely fits you- which means it will only do you more harm than good. Look at it- you can barely move in it! How many times did you trip while walking here?!"

"I didn't _trip_!" The boy stubbornly retorted. "We were all brought here by Grandpa's magic!"

"That crazy old caterpillar..." The long-legged advisor suppressed a groan as he glowered. "Then I'll be having a **serious discussion** with him later- you know how I feel about his whack-job experiments!"  
Here Jou, Yugi, and Yami all gave the brunette court member a harsh glare, with Jou even baring his teeth. "Hey, don' you _dare_ talk about Gramps that way! He's saved this kingdom five times over in the last two wars wit' his magic!"

"Yes," the tall consultant conceded, "-but that was _years_ ago, when his mind was as sharp as his skills... wait- why am I even arguing with a _**dog**_?"

The derogatory way Sir Seto said that last word was the final straw, and Jou's golden hair seemed to stand up in ire. But before the infuriated hybrid could retort, he noticed something strange. The cerise rug beneath the advisor's feet was rippling behind him, despite the lack of any breeze or tremors. Jou only smirked as the same rug was suddenly pulled taut enough to knock the arrogant nobleman right to the floor.

" _What?!"_ The bewildered look on Sir Seto's face was enough to get everyone laughing. Jou noticed when Malik's face became ever-so-briefly visible just behind the confused advisor. But the disembodied head only winked once at the canine-hybrid before disappearing entirely.

Jou found himself letting out another chuckle as he realized that he'd just been defended by the crazy cats from the forest. 'Heh... maybe those guys aren't all that bad...' The cross-breed's attention was soon brought back to his stomach when he heard someone mention the word 'feast' again. The blonde raced after the rest of his friends, barely noticing the heated discussion taking place between the king and his head chef.

"Listen, you inane **fool** \- _you_ invited all these bystanders; so you'd better have a feast ready for them _all_ , and soon." The sovereign of Red Wonderland added in a threatening tone.

"I'm always ready to serve, my liege!" The long-haired chef gave a low bow with an almost sly smirk.

King Bakura snorted as he dismissed the elder court member. "Then get to it." The monarch reflected sullenly on the always-contentious character that was Mssr. Pegasus. 'If it were not for his immense talents, I would never put up with his nonsense... but perhaps this 'feast' will prove beneficial. I can observe and learn from my intended without putting much pressure on either of us...hm.'

The dining hall of the Red Castle was just as lavish and colorful as the rest of the estate. The King gave a brief bow before addressing the assembled group. "Our chef, Mssr. Pegasus, is highly skilled, and his staff will gladly fetch anything you desire."

Everyone clapped politely as the king took his seat. Once the monarch was settled, a fair number of servers rushed in to pull out the chairs for the waiting guests. Jou ended up on Ryou's left, and Yugi was on his right (with Yami occupying the next seat down). Ryou watched in fascination as the kitchen staff hustled about in near-panic- this was clearly _not_ a planned banquet.

'Oh dear... I do hope we're not causing any problems for them...'

Several waiters were soon dashing about, dispensing silverware and glasses. Each one dressed in an identical uniform of a black-and-red waistcoat with a small, black cap on top of their head. Most seemed to be purely human, but Ryou thought he saw a lizard crossbreed, and later what looked like an owl-hybrid. There were a few minutes of chatter as everyone commented on the décor and whatnot. The king looked rather irritated by the wait, and he kept tapping his fingers against his golden chair. Yet Mssr. Pegasus didn't disappoint, and soon all the dishes had been fitted on the long table, with each cover's handle being gripped by one of the wait staff.

The servers all looked towards the young monarch, evidently waiting for permission. King Bakura nodded once, and everyone seated at the table gasped as the silver lids were swiftly lifted from their dishes. The revelation was astonishing, to say the least. Even the long-time castle residents seemed awed by the wide variety of unbelievable creations now greeting the guests.

Ryou's jaw dropped as he observed the menagerie of splendors now laying before them. Some of the dishes were downright fantastical. There was a swirling mound of what looked like purple whipped cream covering an assortment of exotic fruit slices; a rather strange looking roast that seemed to be made of nothing but layers of ribs; and a salad that had leaves of every possibly color and texture. There were also drinks of all sorts on a silver serving cart- some seemed made entirely of bubbles, while others seemed to shift in hue depending on how full the glass was. One wine-type glass was filled with some sort of blue substance that was bubbling like mad; but it quickly turned into semi-solid, gelatin-looking substance when the glass was rapidly flipped upside-down and back upright again.

Everyone clapped appreciatively as the wait staff began dispensing the drinks and salad dishes.

Ryou happily accepted an orange-tinted drink (which it turned out tasted like a juiced tangerine with bits of mango and watermelon) which proved to be scrumptiously citrus-like and crisp. He then began helping himself to some of the multicolored salad.

Meanwhile, Sir Seto could be heard arguing with his sibling over the same foodstuffs- evidently Mokuba wasn't keen on eating anything 'leafy.'

Ryou stifled a chuckle as his gaze wandered over the table again. The otherworlder tilted his head as he realized something was missing from the expansive spread. He leaned towards the canine-hybrid on his left and whispered, "are there no soups?"

Jou shook his head, while Yugi hastily murmured into Ryou's other ear: "Actually, soups haven't been served in a long time in the castle; not since the previous chef randomly decided to start adding massive amounts of pepper to all her stews."

"Oh." Ryou also thought he heard Yami mutter something under his breath that sound like, "not to mention the _mess_ whenever Jou was around", but no one else seemed to hear him. "Then... what happened to that chef?"

This time Yami spoke a little more loudly. "She was offered a private position for some lesser noble; her skills were growing dull, and she kept threatening the busboys."

"I see..." Evidently, the brash king of Red Wonderland didn't try to solve every problem with violence; but this left Ryou feeling even more bewildered. Why was the young monarch was so quick to rush at killing his former knight? One who had clearly been dedicated to keeping his master safe from harm?

'I wonder...' The foreigner's intense thoughts were soon overridden by the distraction of his own meal.

He carefully loaded several bits of salad onto his fork before biting down into the crisp leaves. 'Oh!' To Ryou's delight, the salad leaves all tasted different, yet not un-complimentary to each other. The dark green leaves tasted like green beans mixed with a hint of radishes; the bluish ones tasted like iceberg lettuce with a touch of onion sprigs; and the purple-toned bits tasted like carrots mixed with a bit of butter. He was just about to try a yellowish-colored leaf, when he noticed the unusual chef peering curiously over his right shoulder.

"How do you like the fare?" The white-haired man asked the otherworlder with an anticipatory grin.

"Mmm- everything is simply _delicious_!" Ryou eagerly declared. "These are the freshest greens I've ever tasted- oh, and the pot pie is perfectly seasoned!" The pleased chef seemed to beam with pride as he nearly skipped back to the kitchen.

Ryou lifted up a slice of white-and-brown bread on the edge of his plate to find a small, yellow square. He carefully nibbled one corner of the slice, surprised by the unappealing taste. "Though I must confess; this cheese seems a bit flavorless and dry to me- but maybe it's supposed to be that way... oh!" Ryou noticed one of the waiters passing by and flagged him down with a polite wave. "Excuse me? Sir? Could you kindly tell me what this particular cheese is called?"

"Erm..." the human waiter glanced around nervously, as though uncertain how he should answer foreigner's query. "Well, here in Wonderland we would call that... a 'yellow napkin.'"

"Oh." Ryou flushed a deep crimson as he tried to (politely) hide the remnants of the paper disposable under the edge of his plate. "That _would_ explain the flavor, then."

The king, however, found the minor gaff hilarious, and his sides were shaking for a good ten minutes.

The rest of the meal went on without a hitch; everyone was impressed with the multi-course fare. Even the king was a bit surprised by some of the desserts his chef had managed- including a complicated dish called 'dragon-mint' which consisted of a literal flame flickering softly atop a thick slice of pie-shaped custard.

Ryou's sweet tooth needed no further prompting, and he eagerly took part in several small pastries and even a swirling helix of green-and-orange candy sticks melded together.

"Every one of these desserts is _delectable_!"

"Mm-hmm!" Jou nodded his head in eager agreement, bits of frosting flying from his chin as he did so.

"How uncouth..." Sir Seto sneered, but didn't add any further insults. Ryou noticed that he did give the flooring a suspicious glance, though.

"Quite toothsome." Yami agreed more stoically. "You seem to have something on your cheek, aibou."

"Oh!" The petite rabbit-mix flushed as he began dabbing his face with an (uneaten) yellow napkin. Despite his efforts, he somehow managed to miss the crumb entirely. "Did I get it?"

"Allow me." The former knight swooped in, quickly removing the offending morsel with a chaste kiss.

"YAMI!" Yugi instantly squeaked in shock and covered his face with his fur-cuffed hands. The polite hybrid sounded mortified as he admonished his boyfriend. _"Not in public!"_

The unphased beau only smirked. "Is it my fault that you're the cutest rabbit in all of Wonderland?"

Ryou had a feeling that even if Yugi's face was covered in the same black fur as his ears, his current blush would _still_ have been perfectly visible. Trying not to stare, his gaze drifted up the table until he saw the king. The pale monarch was talking quietly to one of the wait staff, though Ryou was unsure if it was a casual conversation or not.

'I still don't trust that one- after all the stories I've heard, and the way everyone acts around him...' Ryou failed to notice that he was now openly staring at the young king. 'Surely a nobleman should be more... well, noble? Though he does have a certain swagger... oh!' The foreign youth nearly jumped when the sovereign's focus turned to him. The two eyes now locked on to his were the color of dark rubies, and a faint smile seemed to be forming beneath them...

Embarrassed, Ryou quickly looked away, hoping to hide his blatant staring. 'Smooth; real smooth, Ryou!' He internally chastised himself. 'Caught drooling over a psychotic monarch from some fantasy realm... get real! Even if I planned to stay in this land; who's to say he wouldn't get bored and have me beheaded a week later?! I'm nobody special, and as soon as the novelty of my being 'from another world' wears off, I'll be cast aside like-'

"Pardon me, sir?"

"Yes!" Ryou nearly yelped as one of the waiters interrupted his inner musings.

"Er, the king has requested that you spend the night at the castle- he says that he has the books you require, but wishes for you to spend tonight and tomorrow here, first."

The extrinsic teen nearly groaned- he should've guessed that their would be strings attached to any offers made by the monarch. "I suppose I have little choice, then."

"He also wishes to speak with you in the astronomy room right away- I'll lead you there."

Ryou put down the (mostly intact) napkin he was holding and dutifully followed after the waiter.

He paused when he felt a smaller hand tugging gently on his uniform. Yugi glanced up from his seat at the foreigner he'd helped, and whispered urgently: "we'll try and see you again, but if we can't- farewell, and have a safe journey home!"

"I'll never forget you guys- thank you, for everything." Ryou sincerely promised the trio before resuming his march through the castle. Yami and Jou called out soft 'farewells', but Yugi remained thoughtfully silent as he watched the otherworlder disappear.

'Hm... if I didn't know better...'


	12. Chapter 12

_The King felt his anger abating as he saw how much the otherworlder seemed to be enjoying the dinner party. 'Perhaps that crazy chef did something right for once... not that I'll extend the sentiment.' The monarch noticed a particularly lively waiter with dark green hair and blue eyes passing by. He made a lazy motion for the servant to join him. Nervous, the fully-human waiter gave a bow and spoke in a halting voice. "Y-yes, your majesty?"_

 _King Bakura spoke quietly to the servant, not wanted to appear to be in deep conversation with him. "My sources in the castle tell me that you were recently engaged, were you not?"_

 _The waiter gave another bow as he blushed with pride. "Oh yes, your majesty; to the most beautiful girl in all of-" But he was halted when the king held out a flat palm. _

" _Save your chatter for the other kitchen staff. I only need your advice on wooing a target."_

 _The kitchen staff member blinked, not quite sure he had heard right. "Er, a 'target', sire?"_

 _The king turned to gaze at his foreign look-alike. He almost smirked when he noticed the boy was **also** gazing at him, but then the youth shyly glanced away; as though deeply embarrassed. _

" _I desire the otherworlder's favor, yet I am at a loss as to how to win him over." He finally looked back towards the confused waiter. "Surely your engagement was not won overnight, and I wish to know what would be most fitting to seek out his attention."_

" _Oh!" The stunned servant tried not to reveal his shock, but he quickly nodded and lowered his own tone. "Of course, your highness! One of the best spots of advice I can give is to ask questions- people love talking about themselves, and since he's an otherworlder there's bond to be lots to talk about! Also, if you think you're being too quiet, don't forget-"_

 _The servant continued extolling various foibles and techniques. Meanwhile, the king's gaze drifted back to the enchanting youth from another world. 'Hmm... I think I know of a way to impress him...'_

His stomach comfortably full with the many delicious delights of Wonderland, Ryou hesitantly followed after the mustached waiter who'd spoken to him. Evidently the 'Astronomy Room' was located in the tall tower on the Southern End of the castle. Ryou was dying to stop and inspect more of the magnificent palace- he could only catch a few glimpses as he trailed after the harried escort- but the finely-dressed servant never slowed down. 'He's quite fast, despite all those cuffs and coattails! Still, I wish we could amble just a _little_...' But despite his disappointment at their pace, Ryou had managed to spot several unusual oddities already. In the short trip between the dining hall and their current location, Ryou had spotted what looked like a normal water fountain spigot (only the water was flowing UP towards the ceiling!), several paintings of some truly unearthly-looking creatures, and what he thought looked like a rotating bookcase (even the books themselves seemed to change every time he blinked)! Yet apparently none of this surprised the waiter, and the mustached man stoically guided the distracted teen toward a rounded room covered in gold paint.

"You are instructed to 'wait here'- so please do not leave this spot." The waiter added calmly before leaving.

Slightly annoyed, but knowing how much his situation depended on the king's favor; Ryou complied, and quietly waited for the monarch in the tower area. He wondered why the king had wanted to meet in such a small space. The round tower was hardly half the size of a tennis court. Not to mention the only furnishing he could see was a very large and ornate telescope seated on a pedestal in the center of the room.

Feeling vulnerable without his newly-made friends, Ryou nervously checked the buttons on his school jacket. 'Hmph- he'd better not try anything... I don't care how handsome he is; I am NOT a queen-!'

But the otherworlder let out a yelp of fright as the floor suddenly started shifting. The marble tiles seemed to tilt at a slight angle before pressing up against one another, revealing a series of moving gears and pulleys hidden below. Soon the tower's floor began rising UP, and the terrified teen glanced upwards at the ceiling (which was suddenly _much_ closer than before).

'I'll be smashed to a pulp!' He quickly covered his head and knelt down, hoping to stave off the inevitable collision. Yet several moments passed by, and nothing happened, save a very low rumbling sound. 'Huh?!'

Ryou carefully uncovered one eye, relaxing as he realized he _wasn't_ going to be bashed against the upper roof. In fact, the stone tower itself seemed to have split into two domed portions, before sliding downwards to reveal the starry night skies of Wonderland.

"Oh!" Ryou gasped as he stood up, balancing on the now-stable viewing platform. "The stars! They're- they're _dancing_!"

Indeed, the brilliant dots were twisting and twirling about, as though they were all engaged in a most complicated dance together. The dark violet expanse was filled with lively constellations, all crossing and blending in a most regal and beautiful routine.

The tawny eyes of the foreigner reflected the shimmering wonders of the galaxy. Ryou might've been lost in his awe for ages... if he wasn't suddenly interrupted.

"I thought you might enjoy this."  
"ACK!" Ryou jumped a good foot in the air before realizing that he wasn't alone. He put a hand over his chest as he glanced towards an opening in the folded tiles. "I-I do wish you wouldn't startle me like that, your majesty!"

The slightly older human said nothing as he stepped off the staircase to join his guest. "..."

Ryou felt flustered again, and he instinctively took a step back from the king. He wanted to say something, but no words seemed to come to mind.

Remembering the waiter's advice, King Bakura gave the foreigner a curious look. "I noticed your astonishment at the observatory's opening- do the stars of your world never move?"

The shy student remained on his guard as he answered. "Well, they _do_ move... but they do it so slowly it's hardly noticeable over one night's time." His eyes quickly glanced upwards at the celestial dance. "The only time they move this fast is when it's a _shooting_ _star_ \- but they're very rare, and typically only one goes at a time." His eyes remained trained on the glorious fantasies swirling above their heads. "Otherwise they're quite stationary in appearance."

"You said a 'shooting star'? That sounds dangerous."

Ryou couldn't help but laugh a little at the king's confused expression. "Not at all- we call them 'shooting' stars because they move so swiftly that you'd miss them if you blink. They've never harmed anyone."

"Hmm... if you say so." The monarch sounded unconvinced, and Ryou held back a second chuckle. After hearing such horrible tales about King Bakura's temper, it was a relief to realize that he was still just a person.

'He even looks to be around my age...' Curiosity slowly overcame his misgivings, and Ryou hesitantly addressed the other white-haired man. "Um, your majesty?"

The king's eyes seemed to light up at the way the enchanting traveler stated his title. "Yes?"

"Forgive me if it's a bit forward of me, but might I ask your age?" Unsure if this was too personal a request, Ryou hastily added: "I mean, where I come from; it is highly unusual for one so young to rise to the throne."

"It's not an odd question at all. My age is 6,205."  
"WHAT?!" Ryou felt his jaw drop as he stared at the monarch. "Wait- is your hair white with age?!"

"What?! No!" King Bakura seemed offended by the very thought. "Of course not! It's always been white! How old are _you_ , to think _your_ own hair color is due to age?"

"I'm 15!"

The king snorted, clearly not believing the foreigner. " _Right_ \- you're **15** days old? Sorry, I find that a rather dubious claim."

"No, not 15 _days_ , 15 **years**! We go by years in my world!"

"Really?" The scarlet-eyed king scoffed. "That sounds absolutely ludicrous- not to mention dreadfully inaccurate. Your record-keepers must have a heck of a time keeping everything in order!"

But Ryou didn't answer right away. Instead, he seemed to be counting out something on his fingers. "So that would make you approximately 17 years old- and my age in your terms would be around 5,683 or so."

"See? Much more precise- after all, two different people may share the same birthday, but it's almost impossible for them to share that AND the exact same age!"

Ryou still didn't see the reasoning for requiring such specific numbers. "Is identity theft a big problem here, then?"

King Bakura snorted. "Oh yes- we had one idiot last year who kept pretending to be the town crier- he made up the most ridiculous stories and set about trying to convince everyone they were true. It took the local forces months to sort that one out."

" _Months_?! That's ridiculous- why didn't they just fingerprint the imposter?!"

Intrigued, the ruler glanced at his guest and queried: "...how would small children covering him in paint solve anything?"


	13. Chapter 13

" _Months?! That's ridiculous- why didn't they just fingerprint the imposter?!"_

 _Intrigued, the ruler glanced at his guest and queried: "...how would small children covering him in paint solve anything?"_

Ryou held back a soft laugh. "I believe you're thinking of finger-painting, your highness- finger- _printing_ is quite different." The monarch seemed just as confused as before, so the otherworlder went on. "It's an identification system for criminals- basically, if you commit a crime, you get your fingertips dipped in temporary ink, and then the pattern is 'stamped' on a sheet of paper for future reference!"

The king seemed thoughtful for a moment. "...but then how do you do paws? Or talons? Surely they can't be 'stamped' in the same manner-?"

Ryou shook his head. "Oh, we don't have any hybrid-types in our world- only humans. It's rather boring, really..."

Sensing a note of discontent in the foreigner's tone, King Bakura decided to be a little bolder. "That does sound very bland... but it's still quite different from this realm. In fact, it seems there are many questions raised by any comparisons of our worlds. So tell me..." Here the devious monarch subtly moved a few steps closer to his target. "How do the peoples of your world go about courtship rituals?"

Ryou nearly choked in pure shock. "Wha-?!" He quickly turned his gaze to the king, all thoughts of Wonderland's stars forgotten.

"I wish to romance you," the king blatantly declared, "-yet the cultural differences between us seem quite vast. How do I win your favor without causing you any undue stress or offense?"

"I-I-" Ryou silently cursed his own stutter as he tried to think up some sort of reason to reject the obstinate monarch. "I haven't even started dating yet!"

" _Started?_ But then... you have plans to do so." King Bakura's eyes grew large as he misinterpreted the other's statement. "Are your affections set upon another?!" Without pause, the crimson-eyed ruler pulled out a very sharp dagger from somewhere beneath his cloak. "So be it! I will gladly fight him to the death if need be!"

"Wha- NO! No, I'm not seeking someone else; I don't even _like_ anyone back home!" The panicked teen began waving his arms back and forth, trying to calm the overzealous ruler. "Truth be told, they're all _jerks_!"

Forgetting his momentary passion, King Bakura stowed his favorite dagger and turned to his 'accidental' guest. "Then **why** are you so set upon returning?"

Ryou paused. It was certainly a legitimate question. He almost never saw his father, and he'd lost all his other family members... not to mention the daily struggle of keeping his sexuality hidden from his peers... why _was_ he fighting so hard to return to that world?

"I... I suppose I just belong there. That's all."

Bakura lowered his voice to a whisper as he earnestly inquired: "but do you, _truly_?"

Ryou's eyes widened in realization, and his jaw fell open. He seemed about to say something. "I-"

" _Your majesty!"_

"..." Cursing his luck, the irate ruler scowled as a half-vulpine servant ran up to the stargazers. He turned to the fox-hybrid messenger and snapped in an icy tone: "if this is not an emergency requiring my _immediate_ attention, you shall be beheaded."

The messenger let out a strange noise before bowing and fleeing back the way he came. The monarch smirked as he started to snicker to himself. Evidently King Bakura was amused by the instantaneous and stunning effect his words had on the servant.

Ryou felt something inside his chest suddenly drop, and his expression grew dour. "Why did you _do_ that?"

"Do what?"

"Threaten him like that!"

The nobleman waved one hand in casual nonchalance, as though the whole exchange hardly mattered. "He is one of my subjects. Therefore, I can treat him however I wish."

Ryou folded his arms, starting to get annoyed with the king's self-important attitude. "It's very cruel. Your subjects **know** they cannot refuse your demands, yet you still feel the need to regularly instill fear within them?"

"It's rudimentary politics. If they fear me, then they will never dare revolt or turn on me."

"Nonsense. Revolutions only occur when people are very unhappy- and I suspect you're making them _very_ unhappy by lording your power over them like a coward."

" **WHAT?!"** The king seemed to explode at Ryou's last word, and he glared at the otherworlder as he bellowed loudly: " _d_ _id you just call me a_ _ **coward**_ _?!_ "

But the newcomer held his ground, keeping his arms crossed as he actually leaned _towards_ the enraged monarch. "No, I said ' _like_ a coward.' But then again, what would you call a man who threatens someone who cannot fight back? A _hero_?" The smaller teen scoffed in disdain. "Surely not."

King Bakura hid his flustered thoughts by scoffing. "And as you pointed out earlier, I am _very young_. There are plenty of others who would be tempted to steal my throne if I did not keep my kingdom in line!"

"Which, ironically, you are doing very little to encourage."

"What?!"

"People will always remember someone who was kind to them- but as soon as that fear fades, they have no reason to think upon someone who tormented them. If you truly wish to keep your power, then you should start by earning the trust and loyalty of your citizens. There is no protection like the genuine convictions of a loyal servant."

King Bakura raised one eyebrow in skepticism. "Surely you jest."

But Ryou didn't falter. "Not at all. Allow me to set up an example (purely theoretical, of course). Say a man with great wealth happens upon your land, and wants to take over your kingdom. Now, he can hire any assassin in the world to kill you, and all he needs is a way into the castle. So he talks with one of the guards outside, and explains that he can pay a very handsome sum in exchange for access to your bedchambers. The guard is terribly afraid of you, and this man is offering him a sure-fire way to both be rid of his fear, and to become obscenely rich. What do you think the guard will do?"

"..."

"Nobody likes being afraid. So if the opportunity arises for them to be rid of the reason for their fear..."

"..."

King Bakura suddenly turned around and stalked to the edge of the viewing platform and gripped the stone risers with a strange intensity. Ryou watched, bewildered, as the royal youth remained silent for several moments. With his back to the foreigner, it was hard to read his expression. But he seemed to be glaring down at the castle wall, as though the stone itself was causing him anguish.

A few moments passed by, before Bakura spoke in an oddly suppressed tone. "I'm not him."

Ryou blinked a few times, not sure if the words were directed at the king, or himself. "I beg your pardon?"

"I am not my father. I cannot win the hearts of the peoples with a sudden, impassioned speech or a selflessly brave act. I even tried to imitate his methods and mannerisms; but I only failed."

 _'Oh...'_ Ryou remembered everything he'd heard about the previous king. "Er, yes, that's true; you will never be your father's double... but that does not exclude you from becoming his equal."

"Huh?!" The monarch's eyes widened as he was joined at the edge of the platform by the oddly-eloquent foreigner. Ryou turned and gazed directly into the king's fiery eyes as he went on.

"My father is an archaeologist. He digs up the past so that people can learn from it. He is a respected scholar with a good job. I may not enjoy archeology, but that doesn't mean I cannot secure a good job of my own in a different field and eventually earn the same levels of payment and respect."

The young ruler seemed to think over this statement carefully. "But won't people expect you to be an arch-bee-ologist like him?"

"No; even if I became an archaeologist, I'd surely study something different, and work in a different environment. It's impossible to imitate someone else's life perfectly. And if you try, you'll never succeed- it's an inevitability that no two people can live the same life. It's better to try and live your life however you think is best for _**you**_."

"..." King Bakura let out an inaudible sigh. "You speak strangely, foreigner. Yet it is not all nonsense..."

Ryou felt a flash of annoyance at the ruler's last words. "Wait, what do you mean, 'not _all_ nonsense'?!"

But the monarch paid him no heed. "I do not think my servants will _ever_ respect me. I started playing jokes and tricks in my youth, mainly to amuse myself... and it has driven a wall between us. Then I suddenly became king, and I was afraid and unsure how to tear it down... so I simply began building it up even further."

"I don't think you've set yourself as far apart as you think. Your people still want you to be happy (otherwise, why would I even be here?). Besides, the best way to earn respect is to give it. And I know you respect a great many of your staff already."

"What?!" The pale nobleman seemed equally stunned and surprised by Ryou's declaration.

The otherworlder smiled as he shrugged in self-evidence. "Well, take earlier this evening; for example. If Sir Pegasus' actions truly bothered you to the point of irritation, you would've simple had him killed or exiled already. Which means there must be something about his talents that you appreciate."

"Wha- that's- not-erg..." The king turned his to one side again, grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, "as if I _wasn't_ planning to do that..."

"Of course, I don't know everything about your world, or even your customs." The white-haired traveler admitted brightly. "So just take my advice with a grain of salt, I suppose."

This led to further looks from the bewildered sovereign. "...how does one measure a single grain of salt? And why is that important?"

Ryou nearly facepalmed as he realized how easily he'd caused the male aristocrat undue confusion. "Oh, sorry- it's more of a saying from my people- it basically means, 'don't forget the grounds of reality.' Salt mainly comes from the ground, where I came from- er, come from."

"Salt from the ground?" Now it was the pale monarch who chuckled. "Who would have thought..."

Yet neither of the pale duo noticed how the young visitor's train of thought seemingly slipped with his last words...


	14. Chapter 14

_(~A/N: I had some extra time off of work due to being sick, and had lots of time to write- please enjoy this extra update!)_

 _Ryou nearly facepalmed as he realized how easily he'd caused the male aristocrat undue confusion. "Oh, sorry- it's more of a saying from my people- it basically means, 'don't forget the grounds of reality.' Salt mainly comes from the ground, where I came from- er, come from."_

" _Salt from the ground?" Now it was the pale monarch who chuckled. "Who would have thought..."_

 _Yet neither of the pale duo noticed how the young visitor's train of thought seemingly slipped with his last words..._

Ryou could feel himself starting to flush as the silence stretched on. He hadn't realized just how close the fascinating royal had managed to sneak toward him during their last conversation...

"Um, I should very much like to see those books now, your majesty."

The monarch blinked, evidently surprised by the subject change. "Books?"

"Er, the royal library books you told me you would show me? The ones required to secure a safe travel between our worlds?"

"Ah. Yes. Those."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Now?"

" _Yes, please_!"

"I had rather hoped you'd changed your mind about staying..." King Bakura trailed off, clearly hoping to elicit a positive response.

Ryou tried to politely let down the despondent ruler. "I appreciate your openness, your majesty; but the truth is I simply cannot leave my world behind on a whim. People I know would be looking for me, or might even be blamed for my disappearance! Where I come from, there are no 'Boojums'- people don't just vanish, and foul play is generally suspected when someone does!"

"Wait, so people _never_ disappear in your world?"

Ryou felt himself being drawn into another argument with the clever ruler. Truth be told, he had enjoyed their previous verbal 'sparring' quite a bit. It had almost felt like they were dueling; as though they had both joined in a sort of battle, pitting their wits and humors against each other's best abilities.

Not to mention, it was quite likely the most fun he'd ever had with another person his own age- most of Ryou's 'peers' were still obsessed with gory video games and illicit websites. They rarely discussed anything as fascinating as the most effective approach to maintaining an inherited leadership, or when it is fully possible to determine if another realm is capable of supporting imported lifeforms and their subsequent requirements. Ryou found that he could barely stand more than minute or two of 'conversation' (if one could even call it that) with those same shallow-minded simpletons.

"Ryou?" The Red King's voice suddenly ran through the teen's disparaging inner musings. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yes; I'm fine, sorry." His white hair shone in the dancing starlight as his tilted his head back towards the suave sovereign. "Er, sometimes people disappear in our world, but if a reason isn't found, it's generally considered odd enough to garner significant attention."

"Ah, so there would be trouble if you did not return..." Bakura nodded knowingly. "Then what if, perhaps; you were to head back for just a few hours... to, say, give 'your notice', as it were?"

But the look on Ryou's face expressed his confusion. "I don't have a _job_ , if that's what you're asking..."

"No, I meant that you could say that you're leaving that world for another?"

"Then they would surely have me committed!"

The king seemed outraged by the very thought. "Of what crime?!"

"No no- committed to an _insane asylum_! Such talk is unheard of in my world! They would assume I'd gone mad and needed treatment!"  
"Tch- what merit-less folly. I see nothing wrong with you." The sly ruler suddenly moved his body within a foot of the other's. Ryou was still leaning against the tower wall, and wasn't certain where he should go. But then the king turned and leaned towards the stunned foreigner's right side. "In fact..." King Bakura leaned even closer and lowered his tone, "I think you're perfect." The sincere words were whispered quietly into the youth's right ear. Ryou felt his body shiver slightly as the warm breath curled into the sensitive shell.

Suddenly breathing seemed impossible, and his head began to spin. Ryou felt strangely heated by the close exchange. And now the beguiling monarch was leaning even closer and closer!

Ryou kept trying (and failing) to come up with a reason to move aside. But his mind felt as though it was being submerged in a tangible fog of mire and vagueness. His limbs felt like they were made of stone, and despite his best attempts, he still couldn't think of any argument to force them to move.

 _'But do I even want to-'_

The moment was immediately dispelled by a loud, bark-like cry of impatience from just behind the observatory door.

" _ **I can't wait anymore!"**_

"What- **JOU?!** " Ryou nearly cried out as the dog-human mix loudly flung open the wooden barrier and burst into the tower. "What are you doing here?!"

Meanwhile, King Bakura was conflicted. The highly asinine servant had just interrupted them at the most ill-opportune moment. And any further chance at regaining said moment was further shattered when Yugi hopped in after his reckless friend. _"JOU!"_

The Red King's face twisted into a deep glower. His first instinct was to threaten to disembowel the foolish canine cross-breed right then and there. But then the king remembered his guest's previous statements, and realized that likely would not go over well with his potential consort. He instead fixed his fervent red gaze upon the two intruders and glared heavily. "It's **very** rude to just burst in a closed room- I expected better of you both."

Both Jou and Yugi seemed stunned by this mild response. The hybrid intruders shared a single look of astonishment before turning back to their leader. 'It seems the plan is working!' Yugi pondered to himself.

"Er, sorry, yer majesty." Jou bowed his head, his golden ears flopping forward towards the ground. "I didn' think... we thought we'd miss our chance..."

"We, erm, just wanted to say 'goodbye' to Ryou." Yugi added quietly. "We didn't really get to say much to him earlier..."

"Oh, that's so kind of you both! I wanted to say more of a farewell to you guys, too!" Ryou smiled as he noticed that the King's scowl was fading. He didn't think his new friends were in any danger, despite the monarch's infamous temper. Still, he remained polite as he spoke. "May I please have a moment to speak with Yugi and Jou, sire?"

Evidently pouting, the monarch turned back to the stoney turret, no longer facing the trio. He didn't address Ryou at all; only growling to the servants in a low tone. "You may show Ryou to his room- the largest guest room on the Western hall side- before heading home."

The others quickly filed out of the circular room, with Ryou casting one last glance at the sulking king. He opened his mouth to say something, but wasn't sure what he thought he could possibly express. So the shy teen reluctantly left the astronomy tower, following after the kindly messengers. But he could still feel a strange lump of regret in his throat as he stepped on.

The Red King was furious, but for once he wasn't even sure at who. At himself? At those interrupting servants? At that incredible stranger who seemed so willing to listen, so eager to share and help, so insightfully bold...

"Bah." The irate leader cursed to himself. He knew the young foreigner wanted to return home- not that it was surprising. Their realms were vastly different; and even if he could live there, there was nothing saying he would be willing to stay by Bakura's side.

With a final curse, the king pushed off the stone wall and stepped back towards the center of the room. 'I should think no further on that misplaced outsider..' The miserable monarch headed towards the wooden door, ready to retire to his own chambers. He felt something odd tickling his cheek, and he hissed as he swiped at the offending insect. 'Wretched cross-bowflies-!'

Yet even Bakura himself was stunned when he realized it wasn't an insect affecting him. Instead, his hand came across a small dollop of moisture- a single tear, which had fallen from his left eye.

Meanwhile, the two hybrids were guiding their master's treasured guest to the aforementioned sleeping chambers.

As they walked, Yugi couldn't resist checking in on the otherworlder. "So... how are you holding up?"

Ryou gave a deep sigh. "Honestly? I still don't know if this is really happening... I mean, this seems more like some sort of crazy fever dream or odd hallucination than anything else..."

 _*BONK!*_

Ryou gasped and grabbed his now-throbbing nose. "Ouch!"

"JOU!" The little rabbit instantly turned on his exuberant friend. _"You shouldn't just hit people like that!"_

"Wha-?!" But evidently the blonde canine-hybrid didn't see the problem. "I thought I was helpin'- he said he wasn' sure if this was all real or not!"

"Still, you shouldn't just punch someone in the nose out of nowhere!" Yugi repeated firmly before glancing back at the otherworldly guest. "Are you alright, Ryou?"

"Yes, I'm fine- it wasn't a hard knock, but I would appreciate some warning next time!" Ryou added with a glance at the chagrined canine.

Jou rubbed the back of his golden head with one hand. "Eh-heh... sorry."

Yugi sighed and gave a small bow of apology. "Dog-hybrids tend to get a bit... excitable, at times. _Particularly_ the younger ones."

The foreigner noticed the underlying 'knowing' in Yugi's tone. "Is that how you two met? You would play together when you were younger?"

Yugi gave a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Actually, when we _first_ met, I thought Jou wanted to eat me- he kept chasing me all over the place... but then I discovered he was really just looking for a friend!"

"I wasn' always so good with words, ya see." The blonde admitted. "I didn' know how to make friends, neither; so I'd just start chasing after anyone I thought looked interestin'!"

"Of course, we smaller hybrids tend to get very nervous when an unknown carnivore suddenly starts hurtling towards us- it triggers our natural survival instincts." Yugi ran a furry hand over one dark ear.

"An' I just love chasin' things, so I didn' realize I was doin' anything wrong!" Jou happily quipped. "But that's all water under the bridge now- Yug' an' I are great friends, and he even helped convince at lot of the other castlegoers that I ain't so bad!" Yugi nodded in cheerful agreement.

"Yep! We've got a lot of friends here and around town."

Ryou pondered Yugi's last statement. "So, you both work here-?"

The two cross-breeds nodded in unison. "All that running earned us a reputation, and we were hired as messengers for King Bakura as soon as we were of age!"

" _I'm_ faster!" Jou rather boastfully declared.

"And _I_ don't get lost!" Yugi teased the older courier, who instantly stuck his tongue out in response.

"Hey! It was _one_ time!"

"You mean one time _too many_!"

Ryou smiled as the bickering friends led him through the corridors to his guest room. As much as he liked the pair, he was very much exhausted- and looking forward to a good night's rest.


	15. Chapter 15

"Almost there!" Yugi quipped cheerfully as the trio turned down yet another lavish, stone-lined corridor. Ryou still felt amazed by the opulent artistry of the Red King's Castle. 'This partition alone must have taken _ages_ to design, let alone build-!' The otherworlder watched, his jaw nearly dropping as the ornate walls changed through each section of the castle. Soon the small group came across a long stretch filled with golden-toned doors. The handsome barriers each boasted a single handle that looked to have been lavishly crafted from pure copper. After some observation, Ryou noticed that each door had a different, embellished design painted in the center of the entryway.

Ryou peered at the complicated symbols with interest. 'Such intricate brushwork... I'm guessing these marks are used to identify the different rooms, as there's no number-plates visible-'

"Here we are!" Jou grinned proudly as he tapped on a closed door five down from their left side. "This is one o' the best guest rooms in the whole palace!"

Ryou waited for Yugi or Jou to hand him something, but after a few moments it became apparent that they weren't planning to move. The shy teen then prompted, "um, won't I be needing a key?"

"A key?" The hybrid friends glanced at each other, neither understanding the question. "What for?"

"Er, to lock and unlock the door?" Ryou was feeling a bit bewildered- were guests at the Red Castle never offered any privacy?

"Oh, you mean something for your own security! I see, but you don't have to worry- a key's not necessary! This is the key." Yugi helpfully pointed upwards at the large, intricate symbol painted on the door with greenish-teal paint. "The king _told_ us to give you this room, so you're all set- it'll open for you, and _only_ you!"

"Yeah, jus' hold up yer palm flat against the symbol, an' it'll open!" Jou added with a knowing wink.

Ryou couldn't help but tilt his head, his white bangs falling over his confused expression. "But- _how_ -?

The rabbit-hybrid gave the foreigner a reassuring grin. "Did you forget about the 'Wanderdust' already? That was only one of Grandpa's many ingenious creations! Heck, his magical inventions can be found all over the kingdom- he's like a modern Vintcelli Oltaz!"

Ryou was too tired to bother asking just who, exactly, Yugi was referring to; so instead he politely wished both of his new friends 'good night' before stepping inside his designated 'guest room'.

"Oh my..." It seemed the hallways weren't the only parts of the castle displaying a very grand décor.

The surface area was rather large, providing roughly the same floorspace as a single-story house.

One corner of the room had a beautiful, over-sized bathtub set between the granite floor tiles. The bathing basin itself seemed to be carved from white marble, and was decorated with swirling inlays of gold and ruby details. "Wow..." Ryou couldn't help but feel enticed by the gorgeous stonework. "Hmm..." The foreign youth glanced down at his no-longer-tidy school attire. His strange journey had definitely taken a toll on his usually spotless uniform. 'I suppose I could use a bath... and maybe try and give my clothes a quick wash.'

A few moments later, Ryou had slipped into the already-filled tub. He had been pleasantly surprised to find that the water had a faint scent of rosebuds, and was quite comfortably warm. 'I wonder if that was more of Grandpa's magic- keeping this perfumed water at just the right temperature for so long. Hm, I'm guessing one of the staff members filled it as soon as the king knew I would staying the night.'

Growing weary, Ryou tried to empty his mind, but thoughts of the earlier day kept slipping in. Thoughts of the unusual people he'd met, the kind and affable friends he'd made...

He sighed, letting his body sink almost to his nose in the warm, scented waters. 'This place _is_ quite charming...' As his mind wandered, Ryou found it harder and harder to keep out certain characters. 'That king... he's nearly overbearing, and obstinate to the point of peril... still, he's quite clever, interesting, not to mention good-looking...' The teen nearly facepalmed as he realized he was day-dreaming about the attractive madman. He internally chastised his own mind for drifting so far. 'Good grief; get a grip, you! He's an other-worldly monarch; a power-crazed brat trying to control everything- including your own future!'

With a heavy sigh, Ryou reluctantly left the flawless bath. It had been nice, just soaking and thinking back on everything... though now, he could really use something drier. He turned and saw exactly what he needed just a few feet to his left. 'Ah, perfect!'

There was a richly-carved table waiting for him, with a thick, gold towel hanging over the accompanying chair. Ryou was thrilled to find that the soft fabric rectangle seemed to soak up any moisture like a miraculous sponge. Indeed, the golden cloth never felt wet, despite absorbing every drop of dampness clinging to his form. 'Incredible- but I wonder...' Delighted with his discovery, Ryou decided to test the material further by wringing out his long, white hair. Sure enough, he somehow managed to get his entire head (mostly) dry without adding even an ounce to the towel's weight.

'This truly is a 'wonder'-land!' The impressed youth grinned as he noticed that the table next to the chair also had a mirror. The tall backing seemed to curve towards whoever was sitting in front of it- rather like an old-fashioned boudoir piece.

But something seemed strange about this arrangement. Ryou noticed that despite the obvious, bending curve- the mirror had no corners! "I've never seen a mirror that was smoothly curved before- how odd- OH!" Ryou let out a gasp as the tip of his finger brushed against the reflective surface. The surface quivered, rather like a chilled bowl of gelatin, before returning back to its original smoothness. "Astonishing!" Ryou proceeded to poke the mirror a few more times, gently prodding to test the reaction of the odd device. He even got the feeling that he could tilt and twist the mirror like a piece of thick foam, but didn't want to test his luck this late at night. 'I'll ask Yugi or Jou about it tomorrow...' A large yawn escaped his mouth before he could stop it. 'But for now, I should really get dressed for bed...'

Someone had already laid out a very soft, pale-blue nightgown atop the room's ample wooden dresser. Although not what he usually slept in, Ryou found the item to be quite comfortable, with a faint hint of a lavender-like scent. 'That must be to help the wearer sleep more soundly- I suppose this world must have as many different plants as we do back home. It's a shame I can't stay and study them...' He turned to get into the room's sole bed (the overall piece seemed to belong to a size somewhere between a queen and a full). But before he even touched the bed, he noticed the one, large painting in the room. The rectangular piece was on the right wall just above the headboard of the bed. It was a nature scene, and it seemed to depict a wild meadow of lurid flowers and fantastic animals. Ryou couldn't resist taking a closer look at the colorful artwork. The main focus of the picture seemed to be a very strange group of birds. Thin and long, they would have reminded Ryou of storks, had they not been so strangely shaped.

He gave a light chuckle at the sight. 'Why, they almost look like feather-dusters on stilts! Even their feathers are pastel shades of blue and pink and purple!' Upon second glance, it seemed the duster-storks were interspersed with a bunch of much smaller, dark-green birds. They looked like they were darting in-between the non-storks, picking at the ground with their flattened, straw-like beaks. 'Almost like nozzles from a miniature vacuum cleaner!' Ryou pondered to himself, delighted by the many details the artist provided. 'I suppose they must suck up all the seeds the other birds don't catch- fascinating!' A few insects could be seen lazily buzzing above the birds. Ryou remembered the names he'd heard from Yami and his crew, and tried to guess the titles of the painted, flying creatures based on their appearances. One had rounded wings attached to a fat, golden-yellow body that was almost see-through. 'A 'honey-bee,' perhaps?' Ryou's chocolate-toned eyes drifted to the left of the suspected bee. A brilliant orange butterfly was depicted as hovering in place. Its black antennae were surrounded by a suspicious group of upward facing, yellow spikes. 'That looks almost like a tiny crown- oh! That must be a Monarch butterfly!' Ryou was outright grinning as he glanced over the other creatures hidden within the intricate landscape. 'And those blue-ish ones look like they're wearing dresses- maybe they're damselflies?' The excited foreigner continued to scan the painting, eagerly seeking out any unexplored parts.

But soon his eyes had grown far too heavy to take in all the tiny details hiding within the lush painting. 'Maybe I can look over it some more tomorrow...' He pulled back the dark maroon covers, sliding into the luxurious guest bed. 'Mmm...' The bed was wonderfully soft, and strangely warm. 'I wonder if they use heating plates between the mattress... and- the...' But the exhausted teen felt his last thought trail into unimportance as he finally gave in to his body's demands.

Meanwhile, as Ryou sank into a much-needed sleep, some invigorating news was stirring within another castle...

Standing a hundred miles to the East, the White King's palace was built in a very similar fashion to that of the King Bakura's. The long hall of the throne room was gilded in silver, not gold; and far more guards were standing at attention. Most of the men were fully human, and they stood at full attention, quietly keeping their posts. Each guard was evenly spaced around a raised platform in the center of the room- the king's dais.

A tall, mostly-human figure was seated atop the dais, clearly waiting on something or someone. His pale fingers tapped rhythmically against the ornate metal throne. Evidently the long-earred crossbreed was growing impatient. Yet his lengthy, colorless hair covered most of his face, hiding his expression.

Without warning, a small and stout hybrid came rushing into the state room. "Your majesty-!" The half-human creature had spade-shaped hands, and a very pointed nose. His head and shoulders were covered in fresh soil, and he gasped for breath as he ran towards the silver throne.

Only one eye was visible behind the king's pale, grey locks. The amber orb was currently locked on the dirty intruder now bowing in front of him. "What is it, Mole?"

"Your majesty! News from the underground! An otherworlder has fallen into the Red King's domain!"

The single eye narrowed. "A foreigner from another realm, you mean?"

The soil-covered hybrid nodded. "Aye- and the entire kingdom is in an uproar over it!"

"Hmm... how very curious." A sly grin spread across the White King's face, and he turned to address one of his many guards. "Ready the burrows- I think it's high time I paid that foolish Red King a visit. And _you_ -" Here he pointed at the now shaking messenger- "clean up that mess." The king pointed at the dirt trail just behind the hybrid. "I will not tolerate a speck of filth on my throne."

"O-of course, sire!" The mole-man bowed as he ran in search of the nearest supply closet.

The White King grabbed his favorite cane (a sturdy branch of cropped mahogany, covered in white gold and diamonds). "We'll see just who or what has entered the realm of the Red King- _**if**_ it is even still alive!"


	16. Chapter 16

_Ryou felt his chest beginning to pound as he chased the hyperactive hybrid all over the castle._

" _Jou- please, STOP! Please! Just give it back- it's very important!"_

 _The blonde-haired cross-breed glanced backwards, grinning wildly as his voice echoed through the halls. "But is it really?"_

"Ah!" Ryou Bakura sat up, his mind still befogged from his unusual visions.

"Oh... what a strange dream..." He dreamt he was chasing Jou through the halls of the palace. The part-dog messenger had grabbed some manner of junk from one of the kitchen's trash bins, and Ryou knew he should get it back. He kept asking Jou to give him back the rubbish in his mouth, but Jou would only smile and reply, 'Why?' every time. And Ryou couldn't think of a logical response.

After all, what need did he have for a bit of garbage? It would serve him no real use, nor did he truly want it.

A rapt knock sounded against the door of the guest room, and Ryou heard an older voice calling, "Your morning meal awaits, esteemed visitor!"

The white-haired teen opened the door, nearly jumping in fright at the sight of the creature before him. It was another hybrid, only this one was far more animal-like than the others. Though dressed in fine livery, the cross-breed seemed to be part frilled-lizard, and part man. His face was surrounded by a stunning natural ruff, made of what looked like webbed scales joined over mirrored extensions of his cheekbones. The scales were mostly greenish-yellow, almost matching the color of the manservant's eyes.

Ryou struggled not to stare as he was handed a large and intricate silver tray from the courier. "Thank you very much!"

The lizard-man gave a graceful bow before scurrying off. Ryou was intrigued by the long, greenish appendage clearly hanging beneath the creature's coat-tails. 'That almost looks like a dragon's tail! Although I suppose any lizard of that size would seem very dragon-like... do they have dragons here, then? I thought someone mentioned one yesterday at the feast...'

So he stood there for a few moments in the door-frame, just pondering and speculating about the untold marvels of Wonderland. Eventually, though, his stomach gave a protesting rumble, reminding the young foreigner that he should tuck in to his meal. He quickly donned his old uniform first, unsure of what lay ahead for the day. 'Though I suppose I could give that unusual painting another glance...' But his hunger soon overtook his curiosity; and Ryou sat at the room's lavish desk before inspecting the delivered fare.

The breakfast tray was full of some very strange creations, including a pair of what Ryou would normally think were chicken eggs- save for the fact that they were bright purple with pink yolks. 'Is that food coloring, or the actual color of the eggs here, I wonder?' The sides of 'toast' was oddly light in tone, yet the bread tasted as though it was perfectly grilled. The flecks of buttered herbs resting atop the slices made for a delightfully flavorful combination- 'rather like the seasonings used on rich pasta dishes!'

The tray was soon empty, save for a small sprig of some reddish-brown herb. After some thought, Ryou decided not to touch it, as he wasn't sure if this was a decorative 'garnish' or not. 'I wouldn't want to make a fool of myself, getting a twig stuck in my throat... although, I suppose after the gaff with the napkin at last night's 'feast'...' The youth blushed as he remembered the sound of the Red King's laughter. 'He isn't exactly a model ruler, but at least he's not aloof and stuffy like many people in power... he's a bit of a reluctant royal, I suppose...'

"Hey Ryou, you up yet?!" A loud and familiar voice eventually brought the distracted outsider back to his situation. Ryou felt himself begin to chuckle as another voice began hissing in an undertone.

" _Jou, you shouldn't just yell like that!"_

Eager to see the two messengers again, Ryou quickly stood up from the desk and opened the door for the waiting pair.

"Yugi, Jou! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Ryou- and sorry about that. I _told_ him to knock first." The black-eared rabbit-mix glared upwards at his canine companion.

The blonde shrugged, a sheepish grin forming between his fluffy ears. "Whoops... guess I forgot."

"It's alright, I was just finishing my breakfast-"

At the mention of food, Jou's eyes lit up. "Ya got any extra leftovers?!"

"JOU!"

Ryou suppressed a giggled as he shook his head from side to side. "Sorry Jou; I was pretty hungry."

Yugi folded his arms together, making it look like he was wearing a pair of fur-lined gloves. "Don't apologize; Jou shouldn't be acting so presumptuous in front of a royal guest!" Jou started to protest, but the other messenger continued talking. " _Especially_ since he's already eaten his own breakfast!"

The canine cross-breed seemed to lose his enthusiasm for the dispute, and changed the subject instead. "Well, anyway, we've gotta message from the king- he wants ya in the throne room ASAP."

"Oh, I see-" Ryou thought for a moment, wondering if the king was planning to uphold his end of their 'arrangement'. "Alright; I guess I'm dressed, so I can head down there now if you two want to escort me."

Yugi gave a cheerful grin, and Jou nodded. "It would be our honor!"

As the three friends made their way through the opulent corridors, King Bakura was waiting for them on his throne. His eyes had faint shadows forming beneath them. He'd barely slept a wink all evening- it was if a pack of wild toves were circling and writhing around inside his stomach all night. 'Tch- damn that blinding sun!' He rubbed his eyes and blinked, cursing his own tiredness. Despite his physical exhaustion, the monarch felt uneasy, and he kept shifting his arms. For the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

He'd always prided himself on being a very decisive and authoritative leader- it was one his few 'good' qualities. And he knew he could easily keep the foreign traveler in his kingdom by force; simply denying him access to the navigational books and charts necessary for a passage back to his home.

It's what he wanted, and it was well within his rights and abilities as the Red King.

...so why _wasn't_ he doing that? _Why_ was he letting the intriguing little outsider slip through his fingers? He glanced downward at his own right hand, which was now curled in a nervous fist. The king snorted to himself. 'Hn, yes- he's slipping through my fingers... but if I were to close them tightly enough to ensnare him, he'd also be crushed. I've never felt such a connection to anything; such a strange desire to shelter and encourage... I feel like I could never harm him, even if he were to kill me.'

He frowned as he thought of all the things he planned to say to him. 'Whatever happens; whatever his answer...' The ruler closed his red eyes tightly, as though in pain, _'I know I will never forget him...'_

"Presenting the esteemed Otherworlder, Mssr. Ryou Bakura!" The herald bellowed loudly as the doors swung open.

" _We have to get started on our regular duties, but good luck!"_ Yugi whispered hastily before he and Jou took off down the outer hall.

Ryou felt himself growing strangely slow- it was as if his legs were surrounded by an invisible pool of mud, and his feet were now made of stone. Every step towards the royal dais felt like a battle, and he wasn't sure why. 'Is this another one of those things that only occurs in Wonderland? But then why didn't it happen when I was walking through the halls earlier-?'

Before he knew it (which was strange, given how hard it was to walk) Ryou was standing in front of the stone-faced monarch, the Red King Bakura. Remembering his manners, the boy gave a formal bow of respect. "Your majesty."

Two dark red orbs met two light hickory spheres. There was a pause, in which everything was perfectly silent.

Then the king began to speak.

"Ryou, I-"

" _ **HELLOOOOO~!"**_

Nearly everyone in the grand hall jumped as a melodic voice nearly shouted from the re-opened doors. The stunned herald was too flustered to announce the newcomer, and everyone stared in confusion as a new group entered the throne room. Two men flanked the tall, raucous stranger, both of them wearing odd armor and matching scowls. But it was the man walking just ahead of them that was truly baffling.

Ryou instantly felt bewildered- at first, he thought he was watching the chef from the previous evening's dinner. 'Pegasus, I think they said was his name- yet this newcomer could almost be his doppelganger!' But then he remembered what Yugi had said about himself and his own beau, Yami- _"Just because people look alike in this world, doesn't mean they're related!"_

Still, it was a most curious coincidence; and Ryou watched in fascination as the unidentified trio boldly marched into the center of the throne room.

The main herald finally spoke up, barely finishing his announcement before the head intruder interrupted. "Presenting Prince Maximus J. Crawford of the Maximillion family; standing rulers of the illustrious White Kingdom-"

"Salutations, Red King!" The lanky chef look-alike gave a fast bow as he addressed the scowling monarch. "My, my; what a fine Sprummer's day this is-"

"Cut the crap, Crawford. **Why** have you come into my kingdom and castle, _uninvited_?" Bakura's eyes narrowed as he emphasized the suddenness of the other's intrusion.

" _Well_ , I was just lolling about my _own_ castle, bored out of my wits, when my dear servants informed me that a _**foreigner**_ had just fallen into your lap!" Bakura scowled, unsure if the other nobleman knew that was literally what had happened. "And _of course_ I had to see for myself just what sort of creature you'd found- it's been centuries since the last one made it through, and I daresay we need some new gossip in our realm!"

King Bakura grimaced before stubbornly replying. "He was introduced through **my** kingdom, and therefore, he will only be- _**HEY!**_ **"** The young king yelled as the taller royal strode right past him, clearly not interested in any of his words.

Ryou blinked nervously as he saw the trio headed towards him- the two men on either side were evidently guards, as they were very muscular men dressed in some sort of taupeish-bronzed armor. But the man between them was quite tall and regal-looking, with long, flowing hair nearly the same shade as Ryou's own. He had a white-colored suit with a rich, velvet maroon cape flowing behind him. He was carrying a heavily bejeweled cane, but he wasn't using it to walk.

Ryou noted that this new aristocrat had almost entirely human features- save for two long, white rabbit ears on top of his head. Ryou stared for a moment at the two furred appendages. At first they reminded the him of the boy who'd originally brought him to Wonderland. But while Yugi's lapin ears looked fluffy and cute, these ears looked far more rigid and taut. There was even a long scar marring one of them. Ryou sensed that the refined man's chivalrous grace was an illusion. He felt a twinge of fear run down his spine as the hybrid stepped right up to him without any introduction.

"Uh, um..." Ryou tried to step sideways without much fuss. He just wanted to find a way to get back home today!

But the tall trespasser threw up his arms and declared loudly: "Ah, incredible!" The overly-dramatic mannerisms were starting to scare Ryou, and the foreign youth fell into a nervous silence. "How utterly _fascinating_! I simply MUST have him for my collection!" The outspoken prince suddenly tapped the floor twice with his silver-toned cane.

"Wait, wha- _ **a** **AHHH!"**_ Ryou screamed as he felt the floor suddenly give way beneath him. For the second time in as many days, he found himself falling down a dark tunnel. _'Where on Earth am I going?!'_


	17. Chapter 17

_But the tall trespasser threw up his arms and declared loudly: "Ah, incredible!" The overly-dramatic mannerisms were starting to scare Ryou, and the foreign youth fell into a nervous silence. "How utterly fascinating! I simply_ _MUST_ _have him for my collection!" The outspoken prince suddenly tapped the floor twice with his silver-toned cane._

" _Wait, wha-AHHH!" Ryou screamed as he felt the floor suddenly give way beneath him. For the second time in as many days, he found himself falling down a dark tunnel. 'Where on Earth am I going?!'_

He thought he heard King Bakura yell his name, but his thoughts soon returned to his surroundings when the hole abruptly ended.

"Whaaa- _ **UNF!**_ " Ryou gasped as he finally hit the bottom of the tunnel. "Ow..." He looked around, entirely confused- judging by the distance he'd fallen, and the earthy smells, he figured he must be somewhere deep underground. Yet there was a brilliant light in the center of the (rather clean) room, and the walls were painted an attractive shade of fern green. But each wall had at least two large openings, suggesting other burrows and passageways. 'Just how many _are_ there?!' Ryou pondered nervously. He didn't like the thought of getting lost in some sub-surface labyrinth for days or even weeks...

There was a faint noise, and suddenly the tall rabbit-man appeared from one of the other tunnel mouths. He was followed by the same two guards from before. They made no sound as their master stood up.

"Ah, that's better." The foreign royal began casually dusting off his clothes as he turned to address the baffled boy. "Are you alright?" Ryou's heart was still beating a million miles per minute, and he could only gape as the other (mostly) human male spoke. "My apologies for the crude transportation, but I know how greedy that miserable 'King' Bakura can be." The odd rabbit-man began twirling his sparkling cane as he spoke nonchalantly, "that tasteless brat has little-to-no respect for others, and could hardly appreciate the true _rarity_ and _beauty_ of a foreigner such as yourself."

"Wha- 'transportation?!'" Ryou cried out as soon as he found his voice again. "Y-you abducted me!"

But the other man paid him no mind; instead gesturing proudly to the many holes seemingly leading to their subterranean hub.

"Indeed- we rabbits are _excellent_ at devising tunnels- in fact, my system runs through more than 63% of Wonderland's sub-surface!" The over-excited manimal spoke proudly as he nodded in all directions. He then sidled closer to the pale outsider, admitting in a stage whisper, "truth be told, I'd love to build _more_ , but my structural advisor insists that I may inadvertently cause a deadly landslide or earthquake that could devastate the population of the 'above-ground' dwellers." He shrugged, as though such life-and-death matters were inconsequential. "Ah, but you're covered in dust; and could probably use a warm cup of tea. Allow my men to serve you at my castle- we grow our own tea leaves in the loveliest little courtyard garden-"

" _No!"_

"Perhaps some wine, then? I have an exquisite 1742 red that I've been saving for-"

"I meant, 'NO, thank you;' I am not interested in viewing or visiting your castle right now- I'm afraidI have my own world to return to." Ryou frowned as he slowly rose to his feet. "I appreciate the offer, but I cannot stay much longer or it may cause problems back in my realm." He gave a polite half-bow of respect. "I am sure your kingdom is stunning, but I have family members and obligations back in my homeland- surely a man of your stature and importance can understand the value of such pressing matters?"

Ryou suspected the rabbit-man's ego was his weak point, and he waited hopefully for the royal's reply.

"Hmm... while I am most distressed by your refusal, I can certainly appreciate the _needs_ and _pressures_ of modern society." Ryou was about to give a mental cheer of victory, when the rabbit-like ruler turned his head aside, speaking in a troubled tone. "Still, I cannot possibly allow that foolish young king to think that he's actually gotten the better of me..."

Ryou sighed- it seemed this hybrid's ego was even weightier than he thought. His mind struggled to find another way to convince the crazy monarch that he didn't belong underground.

'Wait- what did he say about 'collecting' things?' Ryou's eyes lit up in realization. "Your highness?" The lapin noble turned his attention back to the otherworlder. "Is... is there something _else_ you would consider adding to your collection aside from my person? Perhaps a hand-print impression, or a brief written-and-signed affirmation? I wouldn't mind giving you a small token, but the only things I had on me were left in my backpack, in the other world..."

Prince Crawford shook his head, his long ears barely twitching. "Having a foreigner sitting on one's court is _highly_ desirable; mainly because your people tend to have a very rich and different history than ours. It's more like hosting a party with a VIP guest than simply 'having' something around. We don't 'collect' people, per se- just the intrigue and glamor that comes from being so... 'alien' (if you'll pardon the term)."

Ryou's shoulders fell as he realized what was being said. "Oh, _I_ see- so it really would be about about me being an interactive oddity, telling everyone my personal history... and not just the actual fact that I'm physically foreign."

"Bingo." Crawford sighed unhappily. "I simply cannot _bear_ the thought of hosting another boring dinner party- I'd be the laughing stock of the social season! I can't think of any new ideas, and I've exhausted nearly every talent and prima in the five kingdoms!"

Ryou tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. Surely there must be something that would appease the rabbit-king's desire for innovation? 'I wonder...' Ryou slowly planned out his words before smiling at the lapin leader. "Well, have you ever hosted a masquerade ball, sire?"

One of the bronze-armored guards finally spoke up, his voice slow and awkward. He was clearly not familiar with the term. "A 'mask-or-aid' ball?"  
"No, no;" Ryou politely corrected the armored warrior, "it's all one word- 'm-a-s-q-u-e-r-a-d-e.' It's a very entertaining event, in which everyone arrives at different times wearing their own lavish costumes and matching masks. Then everyone dances together, and spends the evening trying to guess who's really who- it's quite fun! Not to mention the masks are usually beautiful- painted with _all sorts_ of colors, and gilded with metals and precious stones!"

The eager King's eyes seemed to light up, and Ryou felt encouraged to go on. "It's also a bit of a competition, as everyone is supposed to make their own costume and mask set!" The furry-eared noble was entranced, not even blinking as he listened. "Although, I suspect some people cheat by hiring professionals." Ryou whispered, nearly imitating the man's earlier tone.

The rabbit-like royal nearly leapt up and down with emotion, and he quickly declared: "It's **p** **erfect!** I shall have the most incredible party of the year! Nay, the century! Quickly, we must begin planning _at once_!" The monarch then grabbed both the guards and nearly dragged them down a different tunnel.

Ryou was left alone and bewildered in the underground cavern. "But... how do I get back to- oh." He sighed in defeat, only to be nearly startled again as he was suddenly grabbed by the arm from yet another burrow hole.

"Apologies; I do get ahead of myself when I think of a grand idea." The White prince winked before tugging the foreigner down the adjacent passageway.

'Wasn't it _my_ idea- oh, nevermind.'

-.-.-

Meanwhile, the royal throne room of King Bakura's court was deathly silent. No one dared to say a word unless they knew it would be well-received. Even Sir Seto felt his inner strength wavering- their liege was rarely _this_ furious.

A brown-haired knight suddenly appeared in the entryway. He gave a quick bow before speaking. "Um, your highness? We believe we found the main hub of the burrows, but no-one was there- should we search the others as-"

" **I. WANT. HIM. FOUND."** The Red King tersely replied, his face nearly as dark as his cloak.

"Y-yes your highness!" The white-armored knight gave a brief bow before racing back down the same hole.

'Tch... useless fool...' Bakura scowled as he dwelled again on how the irrational rabbit 'Crawford' had gotten the best of him. It was becoming a most disgusting habit- one he fully intended to break.

 _Painfully._

"Your highness!" Another knight suddenly ran into the throne room, breathless and covered in fresh dirt. "We've found the most recently used tunnel- and we were able to plot its path using stealth smoke- they should be appearing in the center courtyard at any moment now!"

The king nodded sternly. "Good." He carefully felt the inner lining of his cloak, smirking as he felt the familiar concealment resting beneath. ' _I'll be ready._ _'_

–.-.-

A few moments later, the white-haired duo found themselves peeking out of a large hole just beside a small fountain. Ryou sighed as he recognized the gorgeous flowers and the stonework walls from the day before. 'King Bakura's gardens... thank heavens...!' He was a bit surprised at just how relieved he felt to be back in the same place he'd been trying to escape. Though he did feel far more comfortable up here than he did underground... perhaps that was it.

"I suppose I must bid you farewell, young otherworlder." The White Prince Crawford gave a more formal bow as he spoke to the outsider. "Still, I would like to openly extend an interminable invitation to visit my kingdom- should you ever return to our realm for any length of time."

Ryou secretly doubted he would ever take up such an offer, but decided a little diplomacy wouldn't hurt. The other man _had_ been rather gracious, after all.

...well, aside from the whole 'kidnapping' part.

Ryou returned the bow with a tentative smile. "Thank you, your highness, for your generous offer- I do not know if-"

" _ **RYOU!"**_

"Eh?!"

There was a sudden yell, and out of nowhere King Bakura appeared. He forcibly slammed his entire body into the other monarch, leading both of them to tumble back down the rabbit hole into a whirl of darkness and chaos.

" _Bakura!"_ Ryou gasped as he heard the frenzied voices echoing up from the black. He hesitated for only a moment, before closing his eyes and jumping down after them.


	18. Chapter 18

" _ **RYOU!"** _

" _Eh?!"_

 _There was a sudden yell, and out of nowhere King Bakura appeared. He forcibly slammed his entire body into the other monarch, leading both of them to tumble back down the rabbit hole into a whirl of darkness and chaos._

" _Bakura!" Ryou_ _gasped as he heard the frenzied voices echoing up from the black. He hesitated for only a moment, before closing his eyes and jumping down after them._

There was a loud noise at the quarreling noblemen finally hit the bottom. The two royals had kept up their struggles down the entire length of the tunnel. When the pair eventually landed, they were both covered in dirt and bruises.

"You witless, insolent _**whelp**_!" The White Prince scowled, his rabbit-like ears tilting slightly backwards. "I'll have your entire kingdom burned to the ground for this impudence!"

But the younger brawler didn't reply. He was currently half-leaning over the cowered man.

"I have no intention of losing my kingdom." The Red King grinned as he quickly revealed his favorite silver dagger from its place beneath his cloak. Prince Crawford's eyes widened in shock as the shimmering metal came into view. "It's so _very_ convenient that we're already underground- _saves my men the trouble of burying you._ " Bakura raised the glistening blade, ready to plunge it into the other's throat while grinning madly. "Now, _**OFF WITH YOUR HEAD**_."

There was a second *thump!* as another figure suddenly landed in the underground hub. _**"NO!"**_

King Bakura was so startled by Ryou's yell that he actually dropped his arm without doing any damage. "Wha- ' _NO'_?!" He turned to stare in disbelief at the abducted foreigner. "The bloody hell do you mean, _"_ _ **NO**_ _"_?!"

"I mean, **NO**." Ryou repeated in a firm voice as he dusted himself off. "The White King sent me down a tunnel\- that's not worth taking his life. He didn't harm me, and he was actually rather polite through the whole thing."

The rabbit-like royal seemed to perk up at the compliment. "Then, I take it you want to stay and be a part of my collection?"

Ryou nearly facepalmed as he turned his gaze towards the other impetuous noble. " **No** , I'm afraid I don't really like you- and you still took me someplace against my will. But I _don't_ think death is an appropriate punishment for what amounts to a harmless prank."

" _He STOLE my property!_ " King Bakura hissed impatiently.

Ryou's own face grew stern as he refuted the irate monarch. "First off, I am Ryou Bakura. And as I've said before, I am NOT _anyone's_ property. I am my own person; not a slave- or a collection piece." Here the youth spared a quick glance at the still-floored lapin-crossbreed before going on. " _Secondly_ , I still belong in another world- which means I cannot be your property, regardless of whatever slavery laws you may or may not have." Bakura tried to interrupt, but was quickly spoken over by the adamant outsider. "And lastly, I doubt you could kill the White Prince, anyway."

"Oh-ho?" Bakura seemed almost amused by the foreigner's final declaration. "And why is _that_ , my dear traveler?"

Ryou grinned as he gestured towards the many tunnels surrounding them. "Because he's already _gone_."

"Eh?!" The Red King glanced downward, only to find that his rival was indeed, gone. Sure enough, the manimal had quickly fled down the closest tunnel while the other two were busy arguing.

" _COWARD!"_ King Bakura bellowed down the tunnel, scowling when he received no reply.

Meanwhile Ryou glanced downwards to find a small slip of beautifully aged paper resting on the earthen floor.

He flipped it over, and written on the other side (in an overly-fancy script) were the words:

 _'Fare well, charming little interloper!'_ The note was signed with a quick sketch that rather looked like two rabbit ears standing upright inside a crown.

Bakura snarled as he saw the absurdly flamboyant message (and signature). "That crazy old hare... tch. Are you alright, then?"

"I'm quite fine- I'd be more worried about yourself, honestly." The otherworlder glanced nervously at the dirtied and bruised host. "Are you injured at all?"

"No, I doubt that addle-brained fool could cause much damage."

"Oh!" Ryou gasped as he pointed to the monarch's left arm. "But you're bleeding!"

Sure enough, there was a faint red streak growing on the Bakura's arm where he'd been scratched.

"It's nothing. I probably cut it on one of the rocks as we fell. I'll have it treated back at the castle."

"At least let me wrap it, so nothing gets in the wound."

Ryou took out a handkerchief from his uniform pocket before gently wrapping the clean cloth around the bleeding forearm. "Um, can we leave, then? Not to be impatient, but I'm somewhat worried about the stability of all these tunnels..."

The king was again bewildered- why was this otherworlder so... odd? But he shook his head, feeling a sharp pang of yearning roiling in his chest. There was no denying the meaning behind the foreigner's earlier words- Ryou was a sovereign sentient, and could not be kept like a Tauleb bird in a cage. Frustrated and sore, Bakura turned to the other human and sighed.

"Come along, then- I've spent enough time underground today."

"A sentiment I share exactly- although I'll admit these tunnels are much cleaner than one would expect."

The king raised one eyebrow in disbelief at his cheerful companion. "Are you even _capable_ of saying something cruel or rude about someone?!"

"Only if it's warranted!" Ryou chirped earnestly.

"Tch..." His mind reeling and his chest aching, the young monarch tried to push back his inner turmoil. He'd made a promise, and he would keep it. "When we get back... I'll bring you the books necessary to secure safe passage between the rifts. If you still wish to leave, that is."

"Oh!" The nobleman's guest felt a bit of shock at this offer- he hadn't expected the stubborn ruler to give in so easily. 'Why do I almost feel... _disappointed?_ _'_ Still, Ryou tried to graciously accept the other's remarkable vow. "Um, thank you, my liege."

"Hm." The Red King gave a single nod as they made their way back to the surface world. Neither of the pair spoke until they saw the sunlight gleaming at the tunnel's end.

"We should be out soon." Bakura commented blankly. "I sent all the guards to find you, so the garden should be empty now."

Ryou nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed that the royal had sent almost _everyone_ after him-! But then they made their way past the tunnel's mouth, and the King helped pull his guest out onto the freshly manicured lawn. Ryou glanced around as one familiar section of plants began talking excitedly about the emerging pair.

"Oh, wonderful!"

"They're both back safe and sound; thank heavens!"

But the one rose seemed to be rather annoyed with the Red King's conduct, and she loudly chastised him. " **You** should take better care of your guests- letting that crazy rabbit run off with that poor girl!"

'Not _again_ -!' Ryou covered his face with both hands, trying not to yell in frustration.

But the king seemed too distracted to correct the flower's mis-gendered comment. "That wretched prince is gone- and good riddance to him and his ilk. Nothing else will happen to Ryou from now on."

The red-petaled Versilia still didn't seem convinced. "It'd better not!"

The sovereign young adult gave the bold rose a stern glare, but she only shook her petals in a defiant manner, resting her leaf-covered arms on her rose 'hips.'

Ryou felt concern for the outspoken blossom, and he hastily whispered to the king, "your highness; these flowers helped me find my way to you- please, do not harm them."

The adolescent monarch sighed and turned away from the brilliant flowerbed. "Relax- even if I held any desire to do so... I could not." He began moving deliberately towards the same door Ryou had gone through just a day earlier.

Ryou felt intrigued by the strange way his host had phrased that statement, and he followed after the royal. "Sire?"

The Red King paused and glanced backwards, extending one arm out in a surprisingly graceful gesture. " _This_ was my mother's garden. She planted this entire section shortly before I was born." He glanced at the now softly-tittering blossoms. "She always had a powerful connection to the natural world. Every bloom here was planted and cared for by her- she had a talent for producing the most glorious and vibrant flowers in Wonderland. The soil here is rather rough, yet she managed to produce talking flowers- quite a feat, even in this world."

"Oh!" Ryou gasped as he remembered the long trek he'd taken through the Tulgey woods with the three companions. None of the plants they'd seen had even moved of their own volition, let alone talked! The shy youth lowered his voice to a whisper as he marveled over the late queen's talents. "That _is_ incredible..."

"..." The king let out a soft breath, his expression growing pained. "I do wish I could have known her better- perhaps she could have taught me more of the traits which I lack." Bakura blinked a few times after realizing just what he'd let slip. 'Wait- why am I even telling _him_ all of this?! I've never even spoken to my closest advisor with such humiliating openness...'

But the otherworlder only smiled, his face holding no hint of judgment or reproach. "Some things can only be taught through experience; but I suspect you hold more of her spirit within your heart than you know."

"Hm?" Intrigued, the puzzle aristocrat glanced at the foreigner as he glanced over some rather vibrant daisies. 'More of that non-nonsense... I wonder if all 'Otherworlders' speak in such an odd manner?'

"Your highness!" A fully-human guard ran up to the king, clearly relieved. "You've returned in fair spirits!"

"Yes..." Ryou's back was still turned, distracted by the buds and blooms of the garden. "On that matter, I have a request of you..."

The two castle-goers only spoke for a few moments, and by the time Ryou returned by the king's side, the guard was already dashing off to fulfill his orders. The dark red eyes of the king turned to his guest.

"I instructed that guard to have my private library opened for you. The books you need should be waiting for you- and the head librarian, Ms. Shizuka, will help you find the information you need. She has expertise in-"

 **"Oh!"** The white-haired duo was instantly distracted by one of the talking flowers. One of the lilies had suddenly began shaking about, as if trying to throw something off of her petals. "There's something moving on the underside of one of my leaves! Oh, I hope it's not a black-fire beetle!"

The other flowers began voicing their own concerns once that particular creature was mentioned.

"Don't move, Lily!"

"Dear me, this is nerve-wracking!"

"Someone, please get it off of her!"

"Oh! Allow me!" Ryou carefully bent down to glance at the under-surfaces of the nervous plant's foliage. He quickly spotted the unwelcome addition- it was some sort of large insect. Its shiny, greenish-yellow body was mostly oval shaped; yet two tawny protrusions were jutting from either side of the creature's head. The pair of 'horns' glistened like ice-covered tree branches, but ended in sharp-looking points.

"It's just a stag beetle." The king blithely commented as he also glanced at the cause of the commotion. "They're not dangerous."

Ryou carefully plucked the offending insect from the lily's leaf, before turning and placing it on a reddish-purple shrub behind them. "He should be fine there."

The king felt his face growing unusually warm as he watched the foreigner's actions. 'He has the same gentle spirit...'

The lily and her companions were still thanking Ryou for his aid, while the king stood silently by. His expression darkened as he came to a harsh realization. 'I cannot stand to see him leave... perhaps it would be best if I excused myself for the remainder of his time here.'

Without another word, the conflicted monarch turned on his heels and marched stoically back through the castle doors.

Ryou had barely finished speaking with the grateful flowers, when he noticed that he was the only human in the garden.

"Huh? W-where did the king go?" Ryou glanced behind him, and spotted an approaching herald- another full-human with a rather striking head of teal hair. The boy seemed fairly youthful, but he spoke very eloquently.

"Good afternoon, dear guest. My name is Noah, and I am a personal retainer of King Bakura's. His majesty has instructed me to bring you to the royal library archives- please follow me, sir!"

Something heavy twisted inside Ryou's stomach, and for some absurd reason, he didn't want to move. He had the strangest feeling, as though if he just stayed put, _some_ how, _some_ way; things would go back to how they were, just a few minutes earlier... strolling and engaging in earnest discourse with the captivating king... 'But I'm guessing that even in 'Wonderland' time doesn't work that way...' The disappointed otherworlder seemed to deflate as he stepped after the green-haired retainer. 'It's just like mother used to say- ' _nothing weighs heavier... than regret._ '


	19. Chapter 19

It wasn't long until they were back inside the splendorous castle, and Ryou soon found himself staring at two beautifully ornate doors. The high-arching pair was decorated with lavish reliefs carved right into the wood itself. All manners of books and scrolls and quills and other scholarly accessories could be seen, masterfully weaving their way throughout the mahogany-like grain. It was quite an impressive gateway to any room designated for quiet contemplation.

The teal-haired retainer evidently noticed Ryou's awe-filled gaze, and he grinned. "The grand library doors here were carved by a famous artist no less than three hundred years ago. We take great pride in the care and treatment of their surfaces."

"They're incredible..."

A slightly impish look grew on Noah's face as he added, "they're also one of the many reasons why Jou is forbidden from entering this portion of the castle- the collar he wears around his neck acts as both a tracking beacon, and a barrier-enforcer."

Ryou's mind instantly jumped to the dog-training collars of his own world, and he nearly rounded on the young manservant. "You mean, if he gets too close to this area, his collar will _shock_ him?!"

"No, no- not at all." Noah calmly replied, evidently not phased by their guest's sudden affection towards the other castle staff. "It's a basic type of restrictive magic-" he pointed at the tiles on the flooring in explanation, "-but very strong and reliable. Jou simply can't pass between these two points. You see, the collar he wears cannot move past those stone markings, therefore; neither can he."

Ryou sighed in relief as he noticed two strange floor tiles on either side of the hall they were in. The squares were a slightly darker shade, with a golden, seven-point sun inside each for visual effect. 'I suppose they've enchanted that collar to keep Jou from taking it off, then-" Ryou nearly paused as another thought struck him, "-either that, or the idea's simply never occurred to him!'

"If you'll follow me, then." Noah only had to give the nearest door a slight push, and it swung inward with noiseless ease. Ryou could already sense something was different about this part of the castle- the air was a bit stronger, like the smell of dried grass clippings floating atop a clear stream. It was a potent but natural scent; not musty and dry and suffocating like most of the libraries he'd frequented back home.

'But how does it look inside- OH!' Ryou gave an audible gasp, much to the amusement of his turquoise-haired guide.

The massive room before him was like nothing he'd ever seen. The foreign bookworm felt a bit light-headed as he took in the sight. There were rows and rows of white-and-grey marble columns supporting a golden leaf-gilded ceiling. The walls were painted a rich shade of maroon, with only the occasional painting breaking up the bold scheme. Ryou couldn't believe how enormous the library was- surely the outer castle walls weren't large enough to accommodate all of _this?!_ 'Perhaps there's more magic at play, here- but either way, it's certainly impressive!'

The books themselves were stored on rows and rows of oak-like wooden cases. Each case had three shelves, and spanned roughly twenty feet in length and eight or so feet in height. The collection wasn't perfectly neat, though- a few shelves had empty spaces where missing volumes presumably belonged.

The white-haired foreigner continued to gawk without blinking. "H-how many cases are there?!"

"Seventy-three, at the moment." Noah grinned, clearly enjoyed the rare opportunity to impress someone from another realm. "But we can always add more, if necessary. Lady Aleiso was a most dedicated reader." Here the retainer pointed to a large portrait hanging inside a crimson-walled alcove to the right; the small area was evidently an area designed for the private perusing of favorite tomes.

The two approached the private corner in unison. Ryou felt his eyes being drawn to the stunning portrait- the subject had pale skin that was so flawless and vibrant, it looked like it had been painted with melted moonlight. Her eyes were a dark, hazel-green; but they seemed quite kindly and warm. Her soft hands were patiently clasped atop several handsome volumes; but the book's titles were obscured by a thin, blue scarf trailing delicately across her arms.

'That must have been Bakura's mother...' The otherworlder felt a bit sad as he realized that the king had never even witnessed her kind smile in person. "She was quite beautiful."

Noah nodded, a bit more somberly. "Yes, inside and out; everyone agreed that she was the prefect queen." He gave a wry chuckle as he motioned to another wall, where a blank space seemed eagerly awaiting a new portrait. "Which has made it quite a challenge for our king to find a match of his own- after all, who could ever measure up to such grace and perfection?"

'Certainly not I...' Ryou gave the portrait one last glance before turning back to the collection. As much as he was enjoying the small 'tour,' one wistful thought kept drifting to the forefront of his mind.

 _'I wish I had just a little more time to spend in this place.'_

"Ah, and here's our head librarian- busy as always, eh Shizuka?"  
"Hmm? Oh!" A rather slender girl, no older than fourteen, was standing behind a wooden podium and inspecting a large book's spine. She had a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched before a pair of hazel-toned eyes. Her long, reddish-brown hair had evidently been tucked behind her shoulders while she was leaning over the tome. But the instant Noah addressed her, she jumped out from behind the stand and gave a polite bow, her long locks billowing behind her.

"Good day, and sorry to keep you waiting! I was checking a volume for damage, and got a bit distracted. Though I did wonder just _why_ all the books had gone still!"

"Still?" Ryou repeated, unsure if he had misheard the ginger-haired librarian.

The younger teen gave a faint giggle. "Yes, though I think they'll be on soon enough- they get bored so easily..."

"Eh-hem." Noah made a pointed noise just after the word 'bored' and gave a brief bow. "As you've located the head librarian, I presume you have no further need of me..."

"Oops!" Shizuka put one hand over her mouth and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Noah! I forgot that you have other duties- you're excused!"

Noah gave another bow before heading through one of the main doors. Astonishingly, the massive, wooden structure closed just as silently as it had opened.

"How bizarre..."

Shizuka let out another giggle, evidently enjoying Ryou's confusion. "I've heard that things are quite different in your world- maybe you'll find them baffling too?" Without another word, she pointed upwards towards the gilded ceiling. "It seems they're aloft again."

"What do you mean, 'aloft'- _oh!_ " The gilded ceiling overhead was no longer fully visible- several white objects were flapping above them, like shore birds drifting on a lazy breeze.

"Those- those are books?!" Evidently the bound volumes of this world were able to take flight by moving their covers and backings up-and-down- just like wings. The rectangular tomes had their spines facing the ceiling, so only the printed pages were visible, giving them the distant look of white birds in flight.

The librarian nodded, still entertained by Ryou's amazement. "Oh yes- all of our books get bored if they're not read every so often. So sometimes they'll try to stretch their pages by fluttering about on their own. But they do tend to get lost, or distracted, and end up all out-of-order. So we tend to restrict some of the livelier volumes with cloth book-bindings."

Two cocoa-tinted eyes blinked in confusion. "Er, book-bindings?"

Shizuka pulled a small batch of what looked like colored rubber-bands from her blouse-pocket. "Yes, we wrap the tome with a single strip of very stretchy fabric, like so-" she mimicked wrapping her other hand with one of the thin pieces "-and then they can still stretch and move a bit..."

"-but not enough to fly about!" Ryou eagerly interjected. "That's very clever! But wait... don't they get thirsty and hungry? What happens then, if they're bound?"

The young bookkeeper spoke patiently as she replied. "Well, here in Wonderland we've classified our books as sub-tertiary lifeforms- they don't expend enough energy to require much input (such as food and drink); nor are they eaten by any other creatures, so they don't need to defend themselves with quick movements or other methods of locomotion."

Ryou found the girl's kindly mannerisms very inviting. "So, they do eat and drink _something_?"

She gave a quick nod before gesturing to the shelves surrounding them. "Yep! They all get a well-blended mixture of ink and wood pulp every couple of weeks." Ryou followed her indications to the mountains of books surrounding them, and Shizuka hastily added, "Oh! But it's really not much of a hassle; after all, they need so little that it barely takes any time at all."

"Amazing..." Ryou followed the books flitting about above their heads and gave his own nod. "In my world, books never move on their own. They're completely inanimate."

"Really?! I imagine that must make keeping track of them quite easy- you still have book-keepers, though?"

"Er, I think so- we just call them 'librarians.'"

Shizuka gave a light chuckle. "I suppose the 'keeping' out of trouble part would be a bit redundant if they didn't scurry off by themselves."

Ryou joined in, until he realized that he needed to ask her a very serious question. "Um, Shizuka-san? Do you think you can help me get home?"

"If that's what you wish, then yes- I have the relevant sources all set up." She a single nod before leading the traveler past several aisles of (mostly still) books. The red-headed book-keeper then guided Ryou over to two large, stone podiums near the library's center. "I know you've heard a bit about the way our worlds are connected. Unfortunately, the portals aren't all active at once- the phases of the moon and stars affects them in a similar pattern of waning and waxing."

Ryou glanced over the larger pedestal- a beautiful old tome lay on top, its open pages nearly divided into two equal portions. He couldn't help but notice the many gorgeous, starry charts adorning its gold-leafed pages. "Ah, so you need to cross-reference the known portals with the current astronomy charts?"

Shizuka nodded, and flipped the smaller book a four more pages past where it was opened. "Right- we know going through a 'closed' portal won't do much- you'll just end up in another spot in our world. It has to be just right to reach all the way on the other side of- hmm." She glanced carefully over the inked text, using one finger to gently trace over the letters. "Yes- that should be it! The nearest open portal isn't far- give me a moment to double-check the exact location, just to be certain!"

"Oh, thank heavens." Despite his relief at Shizuka's reassurance, Ryou felt a bit of something unnerving moving about in his stomach. 'It's just fear of something going wrong- but she seems trustworthy enough.'

As if sensing his unease, Shizuka pointed to the books and gave a reassuring smile. "This'll just take a minute- but I think this set should be it."

"Wonderful, thank you!" Ryou carefully stepped aside, keeping within a few feet of the scholarly girl while still giving her space.

Yet Shizuka continued speaking, even as her fingers carefully traced the lines and patterns across the pages. "And after we're done here, I'll ask Oni-san to take you to the portal site- he's the fastest messenger in the kingdom, so you should reach it well before dusk!"

'Wait- she's _Jou's_ sister?!' Ryou felt beyond baffled that such a quiet, calm librarian could be related to the loveable-yet-crazy messenger. 'Of all the surprises I've found here in Wonderland, that fact may be the one that shocks the most!' But he stayed politely silent as she double-checked the pathways between the portals. As the minutes dragged on, the strange feeling deep inside of Ryou only seemed to increase in intensity.

'It's just nerves...' he reminded himself while the librarian began humming quietly, 'nothing more.'

But oddly enough, Ryou really didn't feel very nervous at all.


	20. Chapter 20

After waving 'goodbye' to the cheery librarian, Ryou made his way back to the castle corridors. The otherworlder glanced downwards at the piece of parchment resting in his hands. It had several numbers scribbled in the margins, along with a brief set of directions.

'The co-ordinates of the right portal...' The youth sighed as he glanced over Shizuka's neat handwriting. 'Guess I need to find Jou, and ask him if he'll agree to take me there...'

"You, sir!"

"Gah!" Ryou jumped a good foot in the air before turning to find a human knight following him. "Oh, um; good day!"

"Good day, sir." The knight had chocolate-brown hair, and his bangs hovered casually over equally warm eyes. The young warrior's silver armor was adorned with bits of red leather and golden connectors. He gave the foreigner a quick nod before asking, "might you be the otherworlder known as 'Ryou'?"

'How on Earth did he sneak up behind me with all of that armor on?!' Chalking it up to another Wonderland mystery, Ryou nodded back. "Yes, I am Ryou Bakura."

The brunette then gave a partial bow, his armor not making any noise despite its metallic appearance. "My name is Sir Honda, Second Captain of the Red King's guard. I have been asked to escort you to the portal site you seek for your homeward journey."

"Oh, Ms. Shizuka seemed to think that her brother was going to take me-?"

The guardsman's face grew somewhat bemused at that mention. Indeed, some of the formality dropped from his tone as he slyly added, "Jou and I have been pals since he was just a pup- I love that guy like a brother; but he gets lost so often, it's almost incredible."

Ryou held back a laugh as he remembered Yugi's earlier jest about the other messenger's (non-existent) sense of direction. "Ah, I did hear a bit about his 'navigational' issues..."

Sir Honda gave a snort as they marched down the lavish hallway. "Well, I certainly wouldn't trust him to navigate a dragonfly."

This odd turn of phrase baffled the other youth, but he brushed it off. 'Probably just some sort of local idiom- like when we say 'it's raining cats and dogs' back home.' The confused teen shook his head, his white bangs parting over his befuddled face. "So, how are we going to travel there?"

But the guard gave him a quizzical look of his own, as though Ryou should already know the answer to that question. "Just like I said. We're heading to the main stables now."

The outsider's rowan eyes widened. 'Wait...surely he doesn't mean we're traveling by- _oh!'_

The heavy outer doors swung open, revealing a series of pens and paddocks. A large, wooden structure ran along the perimeter. The complex was divided into multiple stalls at set intervals, with each partition holding several hay bales and water buckets.

But despite the impressively lengthy run of stalls, it was the center of the yard that caught Ryou's attention.

The guard only grinned. "Isn't she a beauty?"

Tethered just outside the stables was the largest, most luminous being Ryou Bakura had ever seen.

Its long body was gracefully lithe; and was covered in rich, deep purple-blue scales that seemed to shimmer from even the slightest movement. It had four legs, and they were all bent outwards- like a grasshopper's delicate limbs, light yet compelling. Her form ended in a long but fairly straight tail. It was shaped like a plane's rudder, and it seemed to be covered in much larger scales than the rest. Her multiple wings were almost see-through, and if it weren't for their iridescence Ryou was convinced he wouldn't have noticed them at all. But her face was the most interesting- she had two large, almond-shaped eyes (like a horse) that were almost entirely yellowish-orange. They seemed to be nearly glowing from between the faceted purple-blue scales covering her long muzzle-almost like two drop of gold, seated between a sea of living amethyst. Two antique-gold tinted antennae swirled behind a set of thin, cat-like ears; occasionally they would move of their own volition, swiveling this way and that, regardless of where the dragonfly was actually looking.

A thin rope kept her tied to the thick base of an apple tree. Though the tree gave off ample shade, some sunlight still managed to drift down between the leaves, and wherever it struck the creature's body-

"She's dazzling..." Ryou gaped openly at the mysterious steed.

The knight easily approached the gentle beast, letting her smell his gloved hand before patting reassuringly her neck.

"Her name is Alipes. She is the only known dragonfly living outside the wilds of our realm."

Ryou couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that statement, and Honda seemed to catch on. "King Teruo found her years ago while he was scaling Mt. Iracirus. She was just a hatchling- her egg had somehow survived a very long tumble down the side of a cliff. Several of the knights were sent to search for the mother and original nest, but they could find no sign of them. So King Teruo raised her himself, hand-feeding her biting-horseflies and grasshoppers until she was able to hunt on her own."

'So she is a dragonfly... yet it seems that _horse_ flies are still small in this realm... how bizarre!'

"She's wonderfully intelligent, too. It didn't take her long to realized when our beloved King was never to return, and she mourned with the rest of us."

"Wow..." Ryou stared into Alipes' eyes, wondering how she felt about the new king. 'I imagine she must have been very fond of King Teruo- does she know Bakura is his son? Or does she still long for her original savior?' He was so lost in his thoughts, that he almost didn't hear Sir Honda's next words.

"So we'll get you all fitted up in the proper gear, and we'll be airborne before you know it!" And the knight proceeded to strap a sort of leather-and-buckled contraption around the visitor.

"Oh!" The pale teen gulped as he was 'fitted'. Alipes seemed like an amazing creature, but to cling to her back while she dove about the clouds? It was an intimidating thought. "Um, not that I doubt her skills in the slightest, but will that be safe for both of us? It won't- over-strain her wings, or anything?"

Sir Honda chuckled and shook his head as he finished readying his guest. "Not at all. In fact, dragonflies are remarkably strong for their build and size- but they do like to ride with the wind. Their wings are too delicate to take on the really heavy storms that sometimes form in their mountainous homelands, you see. So they tend to weave through the clouds, riding the warm thermals and going with the breeze. I'll keep us on the general path, but she may still sway and swerve with the airflow. If that happens, don't panic- it's normal. Just hold onto your harness and focus on the clouds ahead of us."

Ryou nodded, but wasn't quite able to voice any further concerns. Instead, he waited as the knight helped hoist him onto the waiting dragonfly. Alipes turned her head backwards to glance at her new passenger, but only blinked twice before deciding he wasn't going to be any trouble.

Sir Honda managed to get between the mount's shoulder blades surprisingly quickly. He had wrapped himself in another harness similar to Ryou's own; only his had extra buckles for what looked to Ryou like a set of reigns. The brunette turned back and gave a final set of instructions.

"Now, I'm going to sit in front of you for three reasons. The first is that I need to guide Alipes, so I have to be closer to the reins. The second reason is because if at any point, I have to tell you something important, you're far more likely to hear my voice drifting behind me than if you're seated in front."

"And the third reason?"

But the guard only grinned and gave a knowing wink. "Ah, the last reason's a surprise. You'll see when we reach our destination."

Ryou tried to give a smile back, but he could tell his grin was probably giving away his nerves. After all, surely riding such an unusual steed in the first place was more than 'surprising' enough?!


End file.
